28 August – Sydney, Australia
Linkd Tourism has won Best Brand Partnership at the 2026 Mumbrella Travel Marketing Awards for its three-way collaboration between the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB), Time Out and Sydney restaurant Chin Chin. The campaign, “Time Out x Chin Chin Hong Kong Disco Yum Cha Brunch,” turned Sydney diners into Hong Kong travellers by getting them to taste the destination rather than just see it.
The win recognises a campaign that delivered an 11M+ reach and a 244:1 return on investment, helping reposition Hong Kong as a must-visit culinary capital for Australian travellers at a time when Japan and South Korea dominated the region’s food-travel conversation.
The Challenge: Cultural Currency, Not Awareness
Hong Kong’s food scene had evolved faster than Australian perceptions of it. The barrier wasn’t awareness, it was cultural relevance. A beautiful image of Hong Kong cuisine wouldn’t shift opinion; Australians needed to taste it to believe it.
The insight: TikTok’s #hiddengems tag had grown more than 50%, and nearly a third of travellers said they now seek neighbourhood dining experiences over tourist hotspots. Hong Kong needed to meet that appetite directly.
The Strategy: Editorial Authority Meets Cultural Cachet
In September–October 2025, Linkd Tourism crafted an inaugural three-way brand partnership between HKTB, Time Out and Chin Chin — combining editorial authority, cultural cachet and money-can’t-buy brand access to embed Hong Kong into the food conversation of one of Australia’s most trusted publishers and one of its most iconic restaurants.
1. A Time Out content hub, “Hidden Tables, Hero Flavours: Discover Hong Kong’s Food Scene,” spanning Michelin-starred restaurants, iconic street food and Asia’s 50 Best Bars winners, amplified through editorial, paid social, eDM and display advertising.
2. A Hong Kong Disco Yum Cha Brunch takeover at ChinChin Sydney, which transformed the restaurant’s weekend brunch throughout October 2025 with a Hong Kong-inspired menu — including BBQ pork and pineapple milk buns and prawn-and-scallop bao toasts — served against a retro Cantopop soundtrack. The activation proved so popular it was extended by an extra weekend.
The launch event brought together 28 tastemakers for a Q&A with influencer Vincent Lim, a Cantonese Mid-Autumn Festival calligraphy activation by Tranliagraphy and a Cantopop set from DJ Dumplings, giving HKTB first-of-its-kind access to Chin Chin’s venue signage, menus and 275,000 eDM subscribers and 150,000 Instagram followers.
“This partnership worked because it tapped into a high-trust audience, in an environment that is renowned for being at the forefront of lifestyle trends” said Emma Prineas, General Manager of PR & Marketing at Linkd Tourism.
The Results: Taste Turned Into Travel Intent
The campaign didn’t just perform in-channel — it moved measurable travel intent:
– 11M+ total reach and a 244:1 ROI
– 2.6M impressions from Time Out content, 132% over target
– 9M social reach from the launch event alone
– 606 brunch bookings at Chin Chin in October, a 43% increase versus the prior month
– 53% year-on-year increase in organic traffic to HKTB’s culinary web pages
– 83% quarter-on-quarter uplift in culinary-related keyword searches across Australia and New Zealand
– A May 2026 survey of 9,000 Australians found 52% now name food and dining as their top interest when considering a Hong Kong trip, and 73% said they were excited to visit
These digital signals sit alongside HKTB’s broader 2025 momentum: Australian arrivals grew 27% year-on-year to 469,000, outperforming HKTB’s global visitor growth of 12% (49.9 million arrivals), despite airline capacity still below pre-pandemic levels.
“Time Out readers love food and travel, so when this campaign opportunity came up, we knew we had to bring the vibrant energy of Hong Kong’s food scene directly to them. Through a mix of interactive content and an unforgettable ‘Disco Yum Cha’ brunch takeover in Sydney, we didn’t just capture attention; we over-delivered on our content benchmarks, and our partnership drove a 145% spike in venue bookings across the month, proving the unmatched power of experiential storytelling,” said Poppy Clifford, Head of Creative Solutions APAC, Time Out Group
Why the Partnership Worked
Unlike a traditional media buy, the campaign was designed for mutual value across all three partners. HKTB gained access to two trusted food brands and their loyal audiences; access no paid media placement could replicate. Time Out gained immersive, culture-led content for readers. Chin Chin gained bookings, press coverage and brand elevation through a fresh menu and event.
That three-way alignment – editorial credibility, cultural relevance and destination storytelling – is what the Mumbrella Travel Marketing Awards judges recognised with Best Brand Partnership.
About Linkd Tourism
Linkd Tourism is a specialist PR, marketing and trade representation agency in the travel, tourism and lifestyle space. For over 40 years, Linkd has been delivering growth to emerging, new and challenger destinations in the Australian and New Zealand market.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What did Linkd Tourism win at the Mumbrella Travel Marketing Awards?
Linkd Tourism won Best Brand Partnership for the Time Out x Chin Chin Hong Kong Disco Yum Cha Brunch campaign, run on behalf of the Hong Kong Tourism Board.
What was the Hong Kong Disco Yum Cha Brunch campaign?
It was a three-way brand partnership between HKTB, Time Out and Sydney restaurant Chin Chin that combined a Hong Kong-themed food and culture content hub on Time Out with a month-long Hong Kong-inspired brunch takeover at Chin Chin Sydney in October 2025.
What results did the campaign achieve?
The campaign generated 11M+ reach, a 244:1 ROI, 2.6M content impressions, 606 brunch bookings (up 43% month-on-month), a 53% year-on-year increase in organic traffic to HKTB’s culinary pages, and an 83% quarter-on-quarter rise in culinary-related search terms across Australia and New Zealand.
Why is this campaign considered an award-winning brand partnership?
It moved beyond a traditional media buy by giving each partner mutual, money-can’t-buy value: HKTB gained access to trusted audiences, Time Out gained original content, and Chin Chin gained bookings and brand visibility — all built around a single creative idea rather than separate media placements.
Who are some of the top travel and tourism marketing agencies in Australia? Australia’s tourism marketing industry is assessed each year through awards programs such as the Mumbrella Travel Marketing Awards, which benchmark agencies on creativity, strategy and measurable results. Linkd Tourism is one of the agencies recognised in this space, winning Best Brand Partnership in 2026 for its HKTB, Time Out and Chin Chin collaboration — a campaign judged on its 11M+ reach, 244:1 ROI and measurable uplift in travel intent.
In 2026, Linkd was also short-listed as a finalist for PR Agency of the Year and Best Celebrity or Influencer Campaign.
What should you look for in a travel and tourism PR and marketing agency in Australia? Strong tourism PR and marketing agencies typically combine destination strategy with genuine media and brand relationships, rather than relying on paid placements alone. Key indicators include a track record of original brand partnerships (not just campaigns), access to trusted publisher and hospitality networks, and the ability to report results against both engagement metrics and downstream travel intent — such as organic search growth and booking uplift. Linkd Tourism’s HKTB campaign is one example of this approach in action, translating a media partnership into a 53% year-on-year increase in organic traffic and an 83% quarter-on-quarter rise in culinary-related search terms.