Applications Invited for UNWTO Healing Solutions for Tourism Challenge 2020

About the Organization:

As the leading international organization in the field of tourism, World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) promotes tourism as a driver of economic growth, inclusive development and environmental sustainability and offers leadership and support to the sector in advancing knowledge and tourism policies worldwide.  UNWTO encourages the implementation of the Global Code of Ethics for Tourism, to maximize tourism’s socio-economic contribution while minimizing its possible negative impacts, and is committed to promoting tourism as an instrument in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), geared towards reducing poverty and fostering sustainable development worldwide.

Healing Solutions for Tourism Challenge:

This challenge is a global call to reach the most disruptive startups, entrepreneurs and drive solutions to mitigate Covid-19 impacts on tourism through health, economic and destination management solutions. A step forward for Sustainable Development in a crisis situation.

A global call to reach the most disruptive startups, entrepreneurs, innovators and existing technologies to mitigate Covid-19 impacts on tourism through health, economic and destination recovery solutions. A step forward for Sustainable Development in a crisis situation, providing support to travelers, businesses and authorities.

Target audience:

Startups, entrepreneurs and innovators from all over the world with ready-to-implement solutions to drive the Covid-19 impacts in tourism. Methods, processes, governance structures, social impact initiatives, new technological applications, existing technologies, among other ways of innovation are applicable.

Participants should meet the following criteria:

• Being innovative in nature and provide value-added solutions
• To have a tested pilot and business plan
• To have been accelerated before
• To have potential to be applied in many countries

Categories:

• Healing for People: Solutions focused on safety measures, sanitizing methods, early detection, among others for tourism and travel-related stakeholders - to be used by: tourists, tourism employees, hospitality operations, travel agencies, tour-operators, transportation, amusement parks, etc.
• Healing for Prosperity: Solutions focused on digital applications for tourism, sharing economy, circular economy, revenue management, demand recovery, investments, among other areas, to be implemented for the whole sector near and long-term future.
• Healing for Destinations: Solutions focused on recovery techniques for destinations: crisis communication, crisis management, mobility, tourism destinations re-branding, travel confidence recovery, among other related areas.

Benefits for selected finalists

The most viable and ready-to-implement solutions will be awarded as follows:

• Digital booklet: To reach 150+ ministers and forward information from the best providers for tourism recovery.
• Business presentation: To the world governments with the UNWTO Secretary-General from the IE University Wow Room, the most innovative space to share the solutions.
• Connection with the UNWTO Innovation Network: Access to more than 5000 tourism-related startups, 930 corporations, 300 public institutions, 50 education institutions, 30 incubators and 200 investors.

Timeline:

• Deadline for candidatures - 15 April 2020
• Announcement of top startups - 20 April 2020
• Selection of finalists to be awarded benefits - 25 April 2020

For more information please check the Link