17 Oct 2016 08:30
Etihad Airways has signed an agreement with Tourism Australia to be the Official Airline Partner of The World’s 50 Best Restaurants Awards in 2017.
Under the agreement, the airline will fly the
world’s best chefs and food media to Australia for the programme, a celebration
of the best in global gastronomy.
The events, in Melbourne from 1-7 April, will
showcase Australia’s outstanding food and wine culture to an international
audience of industry professionals and food lovers including world-leading
chefs, restaurateurs, sommeliers, media and influencers.
Etihad Airways’ Chief Executive Officer,
Peter Baumgartner, said the airline was delighted to partner with Tourism
Australia and The World’s 50 Best Restaurants on such an exciting culinary
tourism initiative.
“Australia is world-renowned for the
exceptional quality of its food and wine offering and the diversity of its
culinary experiences.
“Bringing the world’s culinary elite to
Australia next year to experience its food and wine culture first-hand will
further enhance Australia’s reputation as one of the world’s best holiday
destinations.
“It will also enable us to showcase our
own food philosophy and hospitality offering to some of the biggest names in
food and wine in the world today.
“The culinary inspiration we draw from The
World’s 50 Best Restaurants awards will bring us another step closer to our
goal of being the best restaurant in the sky.”
Tourism Australia Managing Director, John
O'Sullivan, said Etihad Airways was a natural fit as airline partner for
World's 50 Best Restaurants.
"Etihad Airways has gained an enviable
reputation within the airline industry for the quality of the dining experience
it offers its passengers, both in the air and on the ground. They have truly
embraced our Restaurant Australia campaign and are a natural choice as airline
partner for a culinary event of this stature," he said.
Etihad Airways offers its guests a dining experience
which is unique among the world’s airlines. Its innovative approach to
hospitality is inspired by the world’s best restaurants and cutting-edge
culinary and beverage trends.
In its First Class cabins, professional
Inflight Chefs, many with fine-dining experience, use their expert culinary
skills to deliver a highly personalised à la carte dining experience, tailored
to each guest’s taste. Equipped with a pantry of fresh ingredients, they are
even able to go ‘off menu’ to offer guests a made-to-order meal.
In Business Class, specialist Food and
Beverage Managers oversee the preparation and service of a contemporary,
healthy à la carte and dine anytime menu. They can also recommend the perfect
beverage from the airline’s boutique inflight cellar.
Etihad Airways currently has 223
Inflight Chefs and 487 Food and Beverage Managers, offering its premium cabin
guests a hospitality experience for which the airline is widely considered the
world’s best.
Etihad Airways also has the finest collection
of airport lounges in the world, reflecting its commitment to providing guests aspirational hospitality experiences on the
ground as well as in the air. Premium Lounges are located in Abu Dhabi, Sydney,
Melbourne, London Heathrow, Manchester, Dublin, Paris, Frankfurt, New York JFK,
Los Angeles, and Washington DC.
In its flagship First Class Lounge and Spa in
Abu Dhabi, the Executive Chef has a long and distinguished career with leading
hotels including The Ritz-Carlton, Shangri-La, and InterContinental. With his
team of Sous Chefs, Demi Chefs, and Chef de Partie, they create haute cuisine
which is served in an elegant and expansive à la carte dining area. Menus,
which are changed frequently, feature a choice of Arabian, Indian and
international cuisine made to order at any time of day. The kitchen prepares
everything in-house using the freshest, locally sourced, seasonal produce.
Etihad Airways also has a partnership with
Taste Festivals Limited, the organisers of food and drinks events worldwide,
which complements its new association with The World’s 50 Best Restaurants. A
presence at Taste festivals in 14 global cities each year enables the airline
to showcase its signature food philosophy and culinary offering to an
international audience of food and wine devotees.
Etihad Airways’ partnership with Tourism
Australia for The World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2017 deepens the airline’s
existing five-year, $30 million investment in Australian tourism, which was
signed in 2015.