Asian Food Channel partners with Hong Kong Tourism Board

MANILA, Philippines - The Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) has tied up with the Asian Food Channel (AFC) to promote Hong Kong Food and Wine Year throughout Asia.

The partnership involves an online, on-the-ground, and on screen campaign across Singapore, the Philippines, and Malaysia, between August to October 2009. AFC and HKTB will be hosting a variety of Hong Kong celebrities and AFC faces, who will demonstrate the diversity of Hong Kong cuisine, reveal their favorite eating haunts, and explain more about the breadth of food and wine in the Asian capital.

These exclusive events will be captured online and on screen by AFC, ensuring that the cable channel’s position as an authority on food with their broad base of followers is maximized.

For the Philippines, HKTB and AFC flew in Hong Kong entertainer and chef, Maria Cordero, also known as “Fat Mama Maria”, for a food demonstration held at the Mandarin Oriental’s Tin Hau restaurant last Aug. 25.

Hong Kong’s long culinary tradition recently earned for itself the distinction of becoming the second Asian city to be awarded its very own Michelin Guide. Leveraging on the Hong Kong SAR Government’s exemption of wine duty which enables visitors to enjoy a wide selection of wines at highly attractive prices, the HKTB launched “Hong Kong Food and Wine Year” to showcase the diversity of its cuisine and reinforce the city’s image as one of the world’s culinary capitals.

Bringing the excitement of “Hong Kong Food and Wine Year” promotions to new heights would be a 10-day “Hong Kong Food and Wine Year Spotlight Events” from Oct. 30 to Nov. 8 this year. The events comprise four key elements: the first-ever large-scale outdoor wine and dine event in Hong Kong, street carnivals organized by major food districts, a sparkling array of activities put together by the catering and tourism sectors, and a series of dining and drinking offers.

On the other hand, AFC has made tremendous inroads over the past few years towards building a strong channel that is now represented in seven markets across Asia. As well as showcasing a variety of programmes from top celebrity chefs such as Jamie Oliver, Nigella Lawson, Marco Pierre White, Martin Yan, Daniel Boulud and more, AFC has recently launched their original production documentaries.

“We are delighted to be collaborating with Hong Kong Tourism Board for this fantastic project. It is a great opportunity for them to leverage on the extensive reach the Asian Food Channel has established – currently 20 million viewers throughout Asia – to raise the profile and spread the word about Hong Kong Food & Wine Year,” said Maria Brown, co-founder and managing director of AFC.

David Leung, regional director, South & Southeast Asia, of HKTB commented: “We see our partnership with the Asian Food Channel as an excellent platform to present Hong Kong’s delectable gastronomic experience to everyone throughout the region that Hong Kong is a Hong Kong’s strength as a “Gourmet Paradise” not just for quality food, but also excellent wines from different origins. We want to reveal the culinary delights and celebrate the love for Hong Kong food that is felt throughout the region.”