As global tourism rebounds, particularly with the resurgence of Chinese out-bound travel during the upcoming May Day holiday, the influence of trusted culinary authorities is proving more significant than ever. Leading the pack is the Black Pearl Restaurant Guide, renowned for its cross-cultural insight and growing global footprint, underpinned by Meituan’s advanced data analytics and expert-led evaluations.
Now in its eighth year, the Black Pearl Restaurant Guide continues to expand internationally. Cities like Bangkok are increasingly in the spotlight, benefiting from heightened interest among Chinese tourists. Far from being a newcomer to the region, the guide has published rankings for Southeast Asian culinary capitals such as Bangkok and Singapore since 2018. Its momentum reached a new milestone in 2025 with the first overseas launch event, held in Singapore on 25 April.
Wei Wei, Vice President of Meituan and head of the company’s in-store dining division
What distinguishes the Black Pearl is its unique hybrid model of data-driven insights and expert appraisal. Restaurants are evaluated anonymously across key criteria — food quality, service, ambiance, and innovation — and awarded between one to three diamonds. With nearly 130 million users reached to date, the guide has become a culinary compass for discerning Chinese travellers while serving as a powerful marketing platform for featured restaurants.
The impact is already evident in Bangkok, where nine restaurants earned places in the 2025 edition. In the lead-up to the May Day holiday, the city has recorded a 27% week-on-week rise in daily average online visits to its Black Pearl listings. Responding to the surge, local restaurateurs have begun enhancing their Meituan and Dianping profiles, launching special menus, and activating online reservation options to capture the attention of tourists who increasingly plan dining itineraries before their flights depart.
This growth is more than a fleeting trend — it signals a longer-term opportunity for Bangkok’s hospitality sector. The Black Pearl Guide not only confers recognition but also offers access to a data-rich, trend-savvy audience. In 2024, cross-border dining spend by Chinese tourists grew from 18% to 28% of their total travel budgets. A presence on the guide now signifies not just prestige, but potential for sustained revenue growth and elevated brand visibility.
Bangkok restaurants are already feeling the benefits. Potong, a Thai-Chinese fine dining destination in the city’s Chinatown, recently earned a one-diamond rating, and now it has attracted many more Chinese customers, some discovering it through Dianping. Likewise, Le Du, the acclaimed modern Thai restaurant led by Chef Ton, has retained its one-diamond status for two years. Today, Chinese diners account for 20% of its clientele.
As Chinese travellers increasingly seek authentic, high-quality food experiences abroad, the Black Pearl Restaurant Guide is fast becoming a cultural bridge — connecting communities, raising standards, and reshaping global dining expec-tations. For Bangkok’s dining industry, its presence marks not only a vote of confidence but an invitation to engage in a broader international culinary dialogue.
With the May Day holiday approaching, now is the time for Bangkok’s restaurants to capitalise on this momentum. The Black Pearl Restaurant Guide has already earned its place as a trusted global reference—guiding taste, inspiring innovation, and putting Southeast Asia’s most exceptional restaurants firmly on the world stage.
As Meituan sharpens its global focus, the company is ramping up innovation across food and lifestyle experiences. Wei Wei, Vice President of Meituan and head of the company’s in-store dining division, shared that the platform is set to roll out an AI Agent tailored to local lifestyle services, including dining, beverages and entertainment. Built to connect global users with merchants, the tool will offer personalised features such as cross-border travel planning and smart reservations at international restaurants.
Wei also noted that as Meituan expands its global footprint and more Chinese food and beverage brands reach international audiences, its ranking products are gaining traction in new markets. This growing momentum supports a broader vision to connect global food cultures through innovation and advance the digital transformation of the dining industry both in China and around the world.
