The collaboration was formalised through the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) during the PATA Annual Summit 2026 held in Gyeongju, South Korea, on May 14, 2026. The agreement was signed by Noor Ahmad Hamid, CEO of PATA, and Bernard Metzger, Founder and Chairman of TOP25 Restaurants, in front of more than 300 travel and tourism professionals attending the summit.
The partnership focuses on improving access to reliable travel and dining information while strengthening destination visibility through gastronomy tourism initiatives. According to PATA, the agreement also aims to support visitor satisfaction by helping travellers make informed decisions regarding culinary and tourism experiences.
Following the signing ceremony, PATA CEO Noor Ahmad Hamid highlighted the importance of providing travellers with clear and comprehensive information. He said travellers are better positioned to enjoy higher-quality experiences when they have access to reliable guidance and destination insights. He also noted that the collaboration with TOP25 Restaurants could create opportunities for future joint projects between both organisations.
TOP25 Restaurants, an artificial intelligence-powered travel ranking platform, specialises in identifying and promoting gastronomy destinations, restaurants, and chefs worldwide. The platform combines artificial intelligence, hospitality expertise, editorial curation, and data analysis to produce annual restaurant rankings, awards programmes, and destination dining guides.
Bernard Metzger, Founder and Chairman of TOP25 Restaurants, described the collaboration as an opportunity to advance gastronomy tourism as a strategic contributor to destination attractiveness, visitor engagement, and cultural identity throughout the Asia Pacific region. He also referred to the possibility of integrating the TOP25 Restaurants Awards into future PATA events.
According to Metzger, the partnership could provide international visibility for destinations, restaurants, chefs, and culinary ecosystems while enhancing event experiences connected to tourism and hospitality gatherings. He added that culinary identity and food experiences are becoming increasingly important factors for destinations competing in the global tourism market.
The agreement also seeks to improve media, digital, and social media exposure for destinations through the recognition of restaurant excellence. TOP25 Restaurants said its awards platforms are designed to strengthen the positioning of cities and destinations as gastronomy tourism hubs.
The partnership is expected to benefit Destination Management Organisations and tourism boards throughout the Asia Pacific region by increasing visibility for local gastronomy industries and supporting tourism promotion efforts linked to food and culinary experiences.
Under the terms of the MoU, PATA and TOP25 Restaurants will collaborate on event promotion and participation activities. Both organisations also agreed to prioritise representatives from each other’s organisations for speaking engagements during events where appropriate.
TOP25Restaurants.com operates as an international restaurant guide, gastronomy tourism media brand, and culinary ranking platform. The company focuses on recognising outstanding dining destinations and culinary professionals through data-driven analysis and hospitality expertise.
Its artificial intelligence-based system is designed to analyse large volumes of hospitality data and digital signals before rankings are refined by human experts and industry professionals. The platform produces annual restaurant rankings, gastronomy-related editorial content, and destination dining recommendations covering multiple regions worldwide.
TOP25 Restaurants also promotes gastronomy tourism through four primary pillars: diversity, authenticity, value for money, and experiential dining. The organisation said these principles are intended to support destinations in increasing consumer spending while strengthening reputations as culinary tourism destinations.
In addition to its rankings and destination guides, the company organises annual TOP25 Restaurants Awards ceremonies that recognise leading restaurants and showcase regional culinary heritage, local ingredients, and dining venues in various destinations.
The MoU signing took place during the PATA Annual Summit 2026, an event attended by tourism stakeholders, travel professionals, and hospitality industry representatives from across the region. The summit served as the platform for announcing the collaboration between the travel association and the gastronomy tourism platform.
The partnership comes as culinary tourism continues to play a larger role in destination marketing strategies, particularly within the Asia Pacific tourism sector. Through the collaboration, both organisations intend to support tourism visibility, restaurant promotion, and visitor engagement initiatives connected to gastronomy experiences.