SYDNEY SHOWCASED TO MORE THAN 25 MILLION DURING MASTERCHEF INDIA SEMI-FINALS BROADCAST

Sydney’s culinary credentials, spectacular Harbour and city icons were showcased to an audience of more than 25 million in India, South East Asia, Europe and the United States as two semi-final episodes of MasterChef India Season 5 shot in Sydney were aired on the Star Plus Network.

NSW Minister for Trade, Tourism and Major Events Stuart Ayres said supporting international broadcasters to film in Sydney and Regional NSW, provides a unique opportunity to reach a mass international audience.

“NSW has a thriving and multicultural food and wine scene, which is an important motivator for travellers when choosing their preferred destination. We look forward to welcoming MasterChef India fans looking to replicate some of the great experiences that were showcased through the semi-final episodes, as well as Indian travellers looking for a great holiday experience, to NSW.”

Destination NSW Chief Executive Officer Sandra Chipchase said, “Sydney was the perfect destination to host MasterChef India. Securing this exclusive broadcast is a huge coup as it provides a unique chance to showcase our city’s culinary prowess to one of the top 10 source markets of visitors to NSW.”

India is the ninth largest source market of visitors to NSW with more than 120,800 overnight visitors travelling to NSW from India in the year ending September 2016. These visitors stayed 4.81 million nights in NSW providing a $293 million boost to the local economy.

The episodes will be broadcast and syndicated to over 105 countries including India, the US and UK. The initiative was supported by the State’s tourism and major events agency, Destination NSW.