Michelin, South Australia and the future of culinary tourism in Victoria

Yesterday, South Australia announced it will become the first Australian destination included in the Michelin Guide.

And honestly? I think this is one of the most interesting tourism and hospitality conversations Australia has had in years.

Not just because of Michelin itself, but because of what the move represents strategically.

The announcement was made during Tasting Australia, while the Australian Tourism Exchange (ATE) was also taking place in Adelaide this week. In other words, the global tourism industry already had its eyes on South Australia.

From the outside, that timing feels highly strategic.

Having spent much of my career working across hospitality, wine and tourism, including time at Melbourne Food and Wine Festival and later working on international tourism strategy projects for Victorian wine regions alongside Visit Victoria and Wine Victoria, I’ve been fascinated watching the industry reaction unfold.

Because this is about much more than stars for CBD restaurants.

This is a visitor economy story.

Based on public reporting, Tourism Australia had previously explored Michelin nationally, but ultimately did not move forward. Whether broader discussions continue behind the scenes, I genuinely have no idea.

South Australia has now made the first move, and from a tourism positioning perspective, it is significant.

Personally, when New Zealand was first announced as Michelin’s launch market for Oceania, I was surprised, but not necessarily unsettled.

Partly because many of the things Melbourne hospitality venues are globally respected for don’t always sit neatly within the traditional fine dining framework Michelin was originally built around.

Our dining culture has historically been more relaxed, creative, multicultural and experience-led. Some of Melbourne’s most influential venues helped redefine what great dining could look like in Australia without relying on many of the traditional markers of formality.

So I could understand why Tourism Australia may have hesitated around investing so heavily into a framework that may only recognise a relatively small segment of the broader Australian hospitality landscape.

At the same time, perception matters enormously in tourism.

And whether we like it or not, Michelin remains one of the world’s most internationally recognised culinary reference points.

Fairly or unfairly, destinations outside the guide may now need to work harder to articulate their own culinary identity and global positioning.

But I also think the debate raises a much bigger question for Victoria and Australia more broadly.

What is our modern culinary identity?

Because awards can amplify a destination’s positioning, but they do not create distinction on their own.

Melbourne’s food culture became globally respected because it was creative, multicultural, relaxed, neighbourhood-driven and deeply hospitality-led.

When you look at the history of this city, immigration shaped so much of how we eat, drink and gather. Italian, Greek, Vietnamese, Chinese and countless other communities fundamentally changed Australia’s dining culture.

Melbourne helped establish laneway dining culture in this country. We built incredible restaurants without white tablecloths, often with bar stools, loud music, open kitchens and personality.

You only have to look at venues like MoVida or Coda, and the generation of operators that followed them, to see how clearly Melbourne once defined its own dining identity.

And that’s not a weakness. In many ways, it’s our superpower.

Personally, I think this moment forces us to ask bigger questions about who we are now and what kind of culinary story we want to tell the world next.

And honestly… how does Melbourne feel about this?

Do we double down on the kind of dining culture that made this city globally respected in the first place?

Do we chase global frameworks of prestige?

Or do we define a different kind of culinary leadership entirely?

I’d genuinely love to hear your thoughts. Email me: holly@hollyformosa.com