The foodies from Asia will be looking to Australia for their next oyster, according to Minister for Trade, Tourism and Major Events Stuart Ayres.
Food lovers across Asia will be tucking into fresh New South Wales oysters less than 30 hours after the produce is harvested, making this the latest in Aussie attractions to bring the lucrative Asian tourist down under.
During his first trade mission, Ayres said the innovative NSW oyster exporters would expertly cater to China’s growing appetite for fresh, seasonal produce.
“NSW business Australia’s Oyster Coast has already seen great success in Hong Kong and Singapore, and we are proud to see this thriving local company take its produce to China,” he said.
“The company has developed a streamlined supply chain which enables the delivery of oysters to customers within 30 hours of being harvested. This means that oysters, which were growing in the estuaries of NSW one morning, can be presented for dinner service at a restaurant in Asia the next day.”
Australia’s Oyster Coast includes 45 leading Australian oyster growers across eight estuaries south of Sydney, and produces the Sydney Rock Oyster, the rare Angasi ‘flat oyster’ and the Pacific Oyster.
Its reputation has given rise to ‘Australia’s Oyster Coast Trail’, stretching 300 kilometres along the NSW South Coast. Visitors to the region can taste the distinctive flavours of world-class oysters, learn about oyster cultivation from oyster growers, discover fabulous wineries, charming boutique accommodation, delicious local produce and much more.
China is the top market for international guests to NSW with 500,000 visitors – an increase of 19% from the previous year.
In Guangzhou, China’s seafood capital, Oyster Coast premium-grade fresh oysters have now made their way on to the menus of high-end restaurants such as Chaofood and Mong Kok Oyster Bar.
Oyster production down under is worth more than AU$35 million to the state of NSW annually.
