After receiving 3,000 projects from 132 countries, 10 finalists have been chosen for the 1st UNWTO Tourism Startup Competition, a pioneering initiative that has identified emerging companies at the forefront of the transformation of the tourism sector and the promotion of innovation ecosystems through tourism.
However, out of the 10 finalists that will present their projects in January 2019 within the framework of the Fitur International Tourism Fair (23-27 January 2019, Madrid, Spain) with the presence of global tourism leaders from the public and private sectors, as well as potential investors, no African startup will be joining them.
The competition sought innovative startups capable of transforming the way people travel and experience tourism, while adhering closely to the principles of sustainability (economic, social, and environmental).
“For the first time, we have positioned tourism in the global innovation agenda, a well-deserved place that reflects the weight and socio-economic impact of tourism,” said UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili. “The key is to connect the public and private sectors collaboratively, thus creating opportunities to share ideas and projects,” he added.
Each project’s uniqueness, viability, potential impact, business model and scalability, along with the profile of the team, were the criteria for selecting the 10 finalists.
The 10 finalists are:
1. Awake (Colombia)
2. By Hours (Spain)
3. e-bot (Germany)
4. The FreeBird Club (Ireland)
5. Howazit (Israel)
6. Kompas (UK)
7. Pruvo (Israel)
8. Refundit (Israel)
9. Seevoov (Israel)
10. Stay 22 (Canada)
“We have jointly created this pioneering public-private collaborative model in tourism as a global tourism group and we are delighted to spearhead this action alongside the World Tourism Organization, working together to lead the transformation of the tourism sector and fostering the global innovation ecosystem and its entrepreneurs,” said Globalia CEO Javier Hidalgo.
The finalists are notable for proposing innovative projects that redefine the way people plan trips or live tourism experiences while promoting sustainability and community participation. All this is combined with the application of technology to revolutionize business models and the management of companies in the sector.
Following the model applied on World Tourism Day, the winner will have the opportunity to carry out a pilot project with the Globalia Group and the finalists will have access to the leading actors in the world tourism sector.
