Margaret River To Host International Tourism Academics For Dinner

THE world’s leading tourism academics will feast on Margaret River’s best local produce at a dinner hosted at the White Elephant Beach Café tomorrow as part of an international tourism symposium.

Food, Wine and China: A Tourism Perspective, will run over two days at Margaret River’s Curtin University campus featuring over 20 keynote speakers.

There will also be sessions and workshops that will discuss food and wine tourism in relation to attracting Chinese visitors to the region.

Margaret River Hospitality Group managing director Anthony Janssen said that it was an honour for the Café to be chosen to host the important tourism industry dinner.

“With China being such a huge and growing tourism market, it makes good business sense for industry leaders to discuss and learn how to attract more Chinese visitors to Margaret River,” Mr Janssen said.

The social highlight in the symposium program will be the dinner prepared by MRHG executive chef Tony Howell.

“The menu we’ve put together is the South West on a plate – the local and seasonal ingredients will showcase the exceptional quality of produce we have in the region,” Mr Howell said.  

“We’re really fortunate to have access to some of the best produce in the world, it makes my job as a chef so rewarding.

“But at the same time, I respect our produce and prepare it in a way that allows it to star on the plate.

“We’ll be preparing ten dishes for eighty or so guests, including tourism minister Dr Kim Hames and I hear he likes to cook so I’m hoping he might pop into the kitchen to give me a hand.”

The menu will include Esperance scallops, Pemberton marron, Margaret River venison, locally made tofu, Arkady lamb, McHenry Hohnen pork, Augusta whiting, locally grown vegetables and herbs, Yallingup wood fired bread and Bahen and Co chocolate.

Food, Wine and China: A Tourism Perspective is organised by Curtin University’s tourism research cluster in collaboration with the Asia Business Centre.

It has attracted leading tourism academics from interstate and overseas including United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, France, Hong Kong, Taiwan and New Zealand.

Topics on the agenda include travel barriers for Chinese wine tourists, the importance of food events, an Italian perspective in response to Chinese wine tourists, an inbound tourism operator’s perspective and Chinese wine tourists in France.

Tourism WA’s Taste 2020 Strategy will also be presented.