The Travel Channel has announced that the ninth (and last) season of Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations will premiere on Labor Day — September 3rd. It’ll be preceded by a special nine-hour marathon of episodes.

Here’s the press release which offers some additional details:

TRAVEL CHANNEL BOWS THE FINAL SEASON OF THE EMMY(R) AWARD-WINNING SERIES “ANTHONY BOURDAIN: NO RESERVATIONS – THE FINAL TOUR”

THE NINTH AND LAST SEASON PREMIERES ON MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 3 AT 9:00 P.M. ET/PT, KICKED OFF BY A LABOR DAY MARATHON FEATURING THE BEST OF THE SERIES AT 12:00 P.M. ET/PT

CHEVY CHASE, MD (August 6, 2012) – After exploring over 60 countries, traveling more than 716,000 miles (which is the equivalent of circumnavigating the globe over 28 times) and tasting the delicacies of hundreds of cities, villages and towns, Travel Channel’s Emmy(R) Award-winning series will take its final bow. “Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations – The Final Tour” premieres its ninth and last season on Monday, September 3 at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT. Fans will be able to revisit their favorite episodes from the past eight seasons during a special nine-hour marathon featuring the best of the best episodes beginning at 12:00 p.m., ET/PT.

Making his way around the globe, from east to west, Bourdain provides his unique point of view and biting observations in Austin, Texas, Sydney, Australia; the Emilia-Romagna region of Northern Italy; the Burgundy region of France; Rio De Janeiro, Brazil; Dominican Republic; and then back home to New York City. He heads just over the bridge to Brooklyn, for the final episode, where the melting pot of diverse cultures have all come together in one place they now call home.

“‘No Reservations with Anthony Bourdain’ has been an iconic series for Travel Channel and will culminate with its final tour around the world,” said Andy Singer, GM, Travel Channel. “We look forward to introducing viewers to fresh POVs on travel entertainment through new and exciting programming and personalities, while satiating the appetites of our ‘No Reservations’ fans with encore performances of the acclaimed series.”

The one-hour season opener starts in Austin, where Bourdain soaks in all that is good in this hipster hotspot during the 2012 SXSW Interactive, Film and Music Festival. Austin may be known for its weirdness year-round, but this event brings together the music, movies and mixed media of quirky indie fans from around the country. Tony is here to figure out what exactly makes this event so crazy, so beloved and so unique. With legendary guitarist Alejandro Escovedo, and bands like Sleigh Bells, Neon Indians and The Golden Boys as his culinary and auditory Austin guides, Tony tastes some hardcore eats including offal tacos, dove enchiladas, fried shrimp heads, pork belly, foie gras and goat neck. Tony enjoys every moment in the city – a great week of music, fantastic food and partying with a bunch of cool new rock star friends.

The final season is packed with exciting adventures and culinary classics. Tony races a Ferrari around the Imola circuit in Emilia Romagna, dives with an 11-foot grey nurse shark in Australia and dines on the Dominican’s national dish, Sancocho (a stew with rice, beans and meat). He also rides the Cyclone roller coaster in Coney Island and drinks excessively with old and new friends everywhere he visits. New original specials that look back on some of the most dangerous, insightful and memorable moments will also be featured.

Starting today, fans can nominate and vote for their favorite episode to air before the finale on Facebook at facebook.com/NoReservations or on our website Travelchannel.com. In addition, “No Reservations” enthusiasts will be able to view online behind-the-scene slide shows, video recaps and share some of Tony’s best one-liners, known as “Bourdainisms.”

Launched in 2005, “No Reservations” features off-the-grid locations that challenge Bourdain to better understand the underlying stories behind a locale’s culture, people and traditional cuisine. With access to areas most will never see, viewers join Bourdain on his travels around the world – from places overwhelmed by poverty, natural disasters and war, to remote communities on the fringe, to decadent feasts created by the most renowned chefs. The special episode “Anthony Bourdain in Beirut” that aired between Seasons 2 and 3 was nominated for an Emmy(R) Award for “Outstanding Informational Programming in 2007.” In 2009, the series won the Emmy(R) for “Outstanding Cinematography For Nonfiction Programming.” In 2011, the Haiti episode received three Primetime Emmy(R) Programming nominations, and won a Creative Arts Emmy(R) Award for “Outstanding Cinematography For Nonfiction Programming.” Last month, the series was nominated for four 2012 Emmy(R) Awards in the following categories: “Outstanding Picture Edi

tor For Nonfiction Programming;” “Outstanding Cinematography For Nonfiction Programming;” “Outstanding Nonfiction Series;” and “Outstanding Writing for Nonfiction Programming.”

“Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations” is produced by Zero Point Zero for Travel Channel. For Zero Point Zero, the executive producers are Chris Collins, Lydia Tenaglia and Anthony Bourdain. The executive producer for Travel Channel is Stone Roberts.

TRAVEL CHANNEL (http://www.travelchannel.com) is a multiplatform travel lifestyle brand with the core mission of providing inspiring and compelling programming that takes viewers beyond their everyday destinations, making the unfamiliar familiar, whether it’s around the world or around the block. A dual feed network that is also available in HD, Travel Channel is the world’s leading travel media brand, and is available in over 94 million U.S. cable homes. Owned and operated by Scripps Networks Interactive (NYSE: SNI), Travel Channel has offices in Chevy Chase, MD, and New York, NY. Scripps Networks Interactive (NYSE: SNI) also owns and operates HGTV, DIY Network, Food Network, Cooking Channel and Great American Country.

What do you think? Will you be tuning in to see the premiere? Are you sorry that this will be the final season of Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations?