PARIS, Dec 3 — The Michelin Guide of the world’s top restaurants, regarded as the bible for gastronomes, is teaming up with the online travel review site TripAdvisor in a bid to improve the visibility and accessibility of its chosen restaurants, the two groups said today.
Under the content and licensing partnership, starting next year the 14,000 restaurants selected by Michelin inspectors worldwide will be identified on the TripAdvisor site with symbols including the famous Michelin star.
Some will also be bookable through TripAdvisor’s subsidiary TheFork.
The move, inconceivable a few years ago, will merge reviews by the Michelin Guide’s professional inspectors with the user-created content of TripAdvisor.
“This strategic partnership between Michelin and TripAdvisor will offer unprecedented visibility to the establishments listed in the Michelin Guide selections around the world,” said Scott Clark, member of the Michelin Group’s executive committee.
“We will be able to make the Michelin Guide’s selections accessible to a much larger number of diners around the world,” he added.
In addition, Michelin has signed an agreement to sell its Bookatable online reservation platform to TheFork, allowing TheFork to expand into five new countries and creating the largest online restaurant booking platform, it said.
The financial details were not disclosed. — AFP
