Tourexpi
The Challenge was the
second edition of the UNWTO Global Startup Competition focusing on the Sustainable
Development Goals (SDGs). Entrants were judged on how they are contributing to the
development of an inclusive, resilient and sustainable tourism sector, with a focus
on six core themes:
·
Local
Community Involvement
·
Green
and Blue Economies
·
Ecological
and Sustainable Capital Creation
·
Tourism
Tech for Good
·
Tourism
Education
·
Women
Empowerment
UNWTO Seceratry-General
Zurab Pololikashvili said: “Tourism startups have the power and agility to transform
the sector in line with the Sustainable Development Goals. The winners of the UNWTO
Awake Tourism Challenge all have the potential to help build a more inclusive and
resilient sector and we look forward to supporting them as they grow in size and
influence.”
Winners from every global
region
The competition attracted
more than 2,000 entrants from 120 countries worldwide. The most submissions were
from Europe, the Americas and Africa, followed by Asia and the Pacific and the Middle
East. From these, an expert jury selected 30 finalists and then 15 winners.
Reflecting the broad talent
of the global tourism sector, the winning start-ups are Coastruction (the Netherlands),
Noytrall (Portugal), SmArt Tourism and Hospitality Consulting (Panama), Quantum
Temple (USA), Socialbnb (Germany), Instituto de Accesibilidad (Spain), Kamatjona
(Namibia), Baahdy & Birdy (Norway), WeavAir (Singapore), r3charge (Germany),
Impact Innovations Institute (Armenia), NomadHer (South Korea), Murmuration (France),
Evelity by Okeenea Digital (France) and Accessible Qatar (Qatar). The projects were
recognized for offering innovative service with high customer value, most notably
with high levels of youth engagement and the involvement of local communities. Start-ups
were also recognized for their use of technology to monitor and manage the environmental
impact of tourism activity. More information on the winners and finalists can be
found on the competition website.
A winning network
The winning start-ups
will be offered an incubation period of three months at SPARK Crans-Montana, the
Innovation Hub of Les Roches from the Sommet Education group, where they will be
participating in mentorships, networking activities and have access to a VR lab,
Digital Studio, and a dedicated co-working space. In addition, they will also receive
scholarships for the UNWTO Tourism Online Academy, be included in the UNWTO Catalogue
of top innovators, be featured in a global communications campaign to showcase each
winner and invited for mentorships with project partners.
The competition was organized
in collaboration with Wakalua, the first global innovation hub for tourism, powered
by Ávoris, and counted with great support from renowned tourism experts and partners,
including; SPARK, the Innovation Hub of Les Roches from the Sommet Education group,
Amadeus, IE University, NEST, KPMG, MasterCard, Telefonica, Wayra, ClarkeModet,
The FarCo, BBVA, MentorDay, Finnova, Google for Startups, the Valley Digital Business
School, the Future Food Institute and the Inter-American Development Bank and the
Singapore Tourism Board.
Innovation as priority
In 2022, UNWTO celebrated
five years of its Department of Innovation, Education, and invesment. In that time,
UNWTO has made innovation one of its main priorities for the sector, holding 23
competitions and challenges, as well as holding nine Tourism Tech Adventures, and
creating an innovation network of more than 11,500 stakeholders drawn from every
part of the diverse sector.
Image Credit: © AA
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