The Challenge was the second edition of the UNWTO Global Startup Competition focused on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Participants were assessed on how they are contributing to the development of an inclusive, resilient and sustainable tourism sector, with a focus on six central themes:
Local Community Engagement
Green and Blue Economies
Creation of Green and Sustainable Capital
Tourism Technology for Good
Tourism Education
Women's Empowerment
UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili said: “Tourism startups have the power and agility to transform the sector in line with the Sustainable Development Goals. All the winners of the UNWTO Awake Tourism Challenge 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 all regions of the world
The contest attracted more than 2,000 entrants from 120 countries around the world. Most of the submissions came 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 vast talent of the global tourism industry, the winning start-ups are Coatruction (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 Qatar Accessible (Qatar). The projects were recognized for offering an innovative service with high customer value, especially with high levels of youth participation and involvement of local communities. Startups were also recognized for their use of technology to monitor and manage the environmental impact of tourism .activity. More information about the winners and finalists can be found on the contest website.
A winning network Winning
startups will be offered a three-month incubation period at SPARK Crans-Montana, Sommet Education Group's Les Roches innovation hub, where they will participate in mentoring, networking activities and have access to a lab of virtual reality. 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 Catalog of Top Innovators, be featured in a global communication campaign to showcase each winner, and be invited to mentorships with project partners. .
The competition was organized in collaboration with Wakalua, the first global innovation center for tourism, powered by Ávoris, and had great support from renowned tourism experts and partners, including; SPARK, the Les Roches Innovation Hub of the Sommet Education group, Amadeus, IE University, NEST, KPMG, MasterCard, Telefónica, Wayra, ClarkeModet, The FarCo, BBVA, MentorDay, Finnova, Google for Startups, Valley Digital Business School, the Future Food Institute and the Inter-American Development Bank and the Singapore Tourism Board.
Innovation as a priority
In 2022, UNWTO celebrated five years of its Department of Innovation, Education and Investment. In that time, UNWTO has made innovation one of its top priorities for the sector, organizing 23 competitions and challenges, as well as nine Tourism Technology Adventures, and creating an innovation network of more than 11,500 stakeholders from each side. of the various sector.