Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) has concluded its three-month-long, innovative Australian marketing campaign to promote the Hong Kong Wine & Dine Festival, one of the key culinary events in Hong Kong.
Working alongside its local PR and marketing agency Linkd Tourism, HKTB ran an integrated destination campaign that included an event partnership with Time Out Sydney; sent television personality and chef Andy Allen to Hong Kong to experience a foodie’s dream itinerary; and undertook a Good Food content campaign – all generating over 12 million impressions combined.
Disco Yum Cha Brunch
HKTB, Time Out and Chin Chin Sydney partnered to deliver a one-of-a-kind Disco Yum Cha Brunch Takeover during October to celebrate Hong Kong’s vibrant food and drink culture and to spark travel cravings for the destination. Over 600 Sydneysiders experienced a taste of Hong Kong through Chin Chin’s iconic brunch (12–3pm, Saturdays and Sundays), transforming the restaurant experience into a sensory celebration of Hong Kong. Chin Chin registered a 143% increase in brunch bookings on weekends during the Takeover.
The activation was complemented by a digital campaign across Time Out channels, including a bespoke article and social video featuring the best restaurants and bars in Hong Kong, reaching Time Out’s travel-loving audience, who are more than three times as likely to identify as jetsetters and frequent diners. Time Out digital channels rolled out targeted email campaigns, social media activity and display advertising.
Additionally, Time Out’s Tastemaker influencer network attended an exclusive launch event in early October to generate buzz and original content to amplify both the takeover and the broader campaign. With friends of Hong Kong also in attendance, content creators and personalities included Vincent Lim, Catherine Zhang and Mimi Wong. Guests enjoyed disco flair with local Cantonese creatives, such as live music remixed by DJ Dumplings and bespoke calligraphy by Tranligraphy.
Partnership with Andy Allen
As one of Australia’s hottest television hosts, a chef, restaurateur and cookbook author, Andy Allen was an ideal fit for HKTB. Mr Allen had previously experienced Hong Kong’s incredible culinary scene while filming MasterChef in 2024 and was keen to re-discover the destination. He recently travelled with his wife Alex, staying at Rosewood Hong Kong, visiting the recently awarded World’s Best Bar, Bar Leone, and dining at Vicky Cheng’s multi-award-winning restaurant WING, among many more mouthwatering activities across four days.
“WING would be in my top five best restaurants right now, and the whole trip was just incredible for me and my wife Alex,” said Mr Allen.
“We sampled heaps of unbelievable street vendor noodles and some pillowy hand-made tofu at the markets; then we visited other-worldly bars like COA for drinks with friends, and we dined on the best roast goose ever at Yat Lok. Oh, and Rosewood – probably the best hotel we’ve ever stayed in. Hong Kong is somewhere you can visit for a weekend or a week – I’ve been telling all my mates about it since we got back.”
Rosewood Hong Kong was, in fact, awarded World’s Best Hotel at the World’s 50 Best awards on 30 October 2025, while 2 other Hong Kong hotels made the top 50 list.
Mr Allen’s engaging Instagram reel of his Hong Kong culinary adventure, embedded into Good Food campaign content, has now registered close to 160k views. He also hosted ‘A Taste of Hong Kong’ event for Melbourne media and influencers at Atlas Dining on 20 October, featuring a relaxed Q&A session describing Andy’s experiences in Hong Kong. Atlas Chef Charlie Carrington created a bespoke 5-course menu inspired by his own travels to Hong Kong, which he has visited on nine occasions.
HKTB Director, Australia, New Zealand and South Pacific, Karen Macmillan, said, “When promoting Hong Kong to Australians, we want to ensure our local activations reflect the fun and vibrancy of the city, as well as its elevated wining and dining scene. Hong Kong is one-of-a-kind, so we created a unique concept for the Disco Yum Cha Brunch Takeover in collaboration with Time Out. At the same time, Andy Allen has been an incredible ambassador for Hong Kong over the past few months as he has lived and breathed our destination’s exceptional food offerings and visitor experiences. We invite everyone to explore the diverse flavours and culinary adventures that Hong Kong has to offer – there’s something delicious waiting for you!”
Australian visitation to Hong Kong is up 28% year on year (January to September), the biggest growth among all long-haul markets.
