The Future Is Now! UNWTO Recognizes World’s Best Innovators Facing Up To COVID-19

• All Regions
• 7 May 2020

The top solutions for accelerating the recovery of tourism have been celebrated in the ‘Healing Solutions for Tourism’ Challenge. Launched by the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) with the support of the World Health Organization (WHO) and with the aim of identifying start-ups with ready-to-implement ideas for mitigating the impact of COVID-19 on the sector, the initiative attracted more than 1,000 applicants from 100 countries.

Tourism has been among the hardest hit of all major economic sectors. To rebuild confidence in travelling and to enhance tourism’s contribution to wider societal recovery, UNWTO called on innovators to share their ideas for positive change. Entrepreneurs pitched in three categories: Healing for People, Healing for Prosperity and Healing for Destinations. Over 1,100 applications were received and from the 30 shortlisted projects, nine were selected by a panel of sector leaders, including UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili.

In the category of Healing for People, the four finalists were CleanScan /Chameleon  Welcome Back (Canada/USA), Outpost Healthy Destinations (Canada), SeeTrue (Israel) and Smart Occupancy (Spain).  In Healing for Prosperity, the two finalists were MyStay (Czech Republic) and WAAM (Poland). The three finalists in Healing for Destinations were Airside (United States of America), Beautiful destinations (United States of America) and iBonus COVID19 Digital Prevention System (Hong Kong, China).

“Solutions for all”

Tourism faces the biggest challenge of a generation. But, as this event shows, tourism can deliver solutions for all.

Mr Pololikashvili said: “Tourism faces the biggest challenge of a generation. But, as this event shows, tourism can deliver solutions for all. We now have an opportunity to rethink tourism and do things better. Virtual reality, artificial intelligence and big data will all have a part to play in our joint response to COVID-19, and in building resilience for the future. As such, I thank all those who took part in the Healing Solutions initiative and look forward to the winning ideas being scaled up to make a real difference in the challenging times ahead.”

The Challenge enjoyed strong support, both within and outside of the tourism sector. Addressing the finalists during the virtual event hosted by UNWTO were Dr. Gaudenz Silberschmidt, Director, Health and Multilateral Partnerships (WHO), and Hannah R. Messerli, Senior Specialist, Trade, Investment and Competitiveness at the World Bank Group.

From Madrid to the world

This event was made possible thanks to the support of the city of Madrid, UNWTO’s home base and the capital of one of the worst-hit of all European countries.

Secretary-General Pololikashvili extended his gratitude to Mayor José Luis Martínez-Almeida for providing the ‘La Nave’ space from which to host the Challenge and for agreeing to run pilot implementations of the winning Healing Solutions. “Your support generates trust, and trust is the new distinctive asset of sustainable tourism development and our overall recovery”, Mr Pololikashvili concluded.

A full list of the shortlisted start-ups can be found on the Healing Solutions for Tourism Challenge webpage.

Useful links

• Download the news release
• UNWTO Recommendations for recovery
• UNWTO Global Tourism Dashboard: Tourism and COVID-19
• Message from Madrid: no time to waste as lost working hours devastate lives
• 100% of global destinations now have covid-19 travel restrictions, UNWTO reports

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Calling on Innovators and Entrepreneurs to Accelerate Tourism Recovery

• All Regions
• 25 Mar 2020

In the face of an unprecedented challenge, the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), with the support of the World Health Organization (WHO), calls on innovators and entrepreneurs to put forward new solutions to help the tourism sector recover from COVID-19.

With millions of jobs at risk as the pandemic hits tourism harder than any other sector, the United Nations specialized tourism agency has included innovation in its wider response to the pandemic. That response has seen UNWTO work closely alongside WHO to mitigate the impact and place tourism at the centre of future recovery efforts and liaise closely with governments and the private sector to boost collaboration and international solidarity.

Tourism is the sector that has been hit the hardest by COVID-19. Our response needs to be strong and united.

The “Healing Solutions” challenge is launched in collaboration with WHO, further advancing the united response of the wider United Nations system to COVID-19. This global call for entrepreneurs and innovators asks them to submit ideas that can help the tourism sector mitigate the impact of the pandemic and kickstart recovery efforts. In particular, the challenge is aimed at finding ideas that can make a difference right away: for destinations, for businesses and for public health efforts.

Ideas that are ready to implement

Participants should be able to demonstrate how their ideas can help tourism in its response to COVID-19. Ideas must also have been piloted and be ready to scale-up, with a business plan in place and the potential to be implemented in several countries.

UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili explains: “Tourism is the sector that has been hit the hardest by COVID-19. Our response needs to be strong and united. We also need to embrace innovation. I call on all entrepreneurs and innovators with ideas that are developed and ready to be put into action to share them with us. In particular, we want to hear ideas that will help communities recover from this crisis, economically and socially, as well as ideas that can contribute to the public health response.”

The competition is now live and applications close on 22 April 2020. The winners of the Healing Solutions for Tourism Challenge will be invited to pitch their ideas to representatives of more than 150 governments They will also enjoy access to the UNWTO Innovation Network, which includes hundreds of start-ups and leading businesses from across the tourism sector.

Related Links

• Download PDF
• Healing Solutions for Tourism Challenge
• UNWTO Convenes Global Tourism Crisis Committee
• UNWTO: Tourism and COVID-19
• UN Tourism News: Coronavirus Special Edition
• World Health Organization (WHO): COVID-19 Advice for the Public

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World Tourism Organization and Basque Culinary Centre Launch the 2nd Gastronomy Tourism Start-Up Competition

• All Regions
• 10 Feb 2020

The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) and Basque Culinary Center have joined forces again for the second edition of the Global Gastronomy Tourism Startup Competition.

After the success of the first edition, the competition has returned to identify and celebrate disruptive ideas and innovators who will lead the transformation of the sector as well as those who are making a positive impact in their local communities.

In 2019, over 300 initiatives from 84 countries were submitted. Projects ranged from new technologies, community-based tourism development initiatives, innovation software and startups focused on innovation-driven agricultural sustainability. All of them help contribute to the advancement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Gastronomy continues to prove its potential as a vital opportunity to enrich the tourism offer and stimulate economic development in destinations all around the world

For this second edition and with the support of the TUI Care Foundation, there will be two prizes. The first category will identify the initiative that is both innovative and has a sustainable social impact. The winning project will receive expert support from Basque Culinary Center (the Culinary Action! initiative) and from UNWTO. The project will be showcased at the 6th UNWTO World Forum on Gastronomy. As well as receiving help in creating a work plan for the design or implementation of a pilot project, the winner will also have access to the Culinary Action! network, which offers mentoring, monitoring and the opportunity to scale-up the project using the latest digital tools available.

The other category will recognize the most disruptive gastronomy tourism startup overall. The winning company will design a pilot project alongside Basque Culinary Center and implement it with the help of its network. It will also receive economic support to cover the expenses of the acceleration process with Culinary Action!, as well as accommodation and travel, for up to 3.000 euros.

UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili said: "With this competition we are identifying key companies which will shape the future for food and travel. Gastronomy continues to prove its potential as a vital opportunity to enrich the tourism offer and stimulate economic development in destinations all around the world, especially in rural communities, with the potential to scale on a global level.”

Competition co-founder, Basque Culinary Center Director Joxe Mari Aizega added: “This competition allows us to identify and support entrepreneurial talent in gastronomy. There are entrepreneurs in different parts of the world who are promoting new initiatives that take advantage of the potential of gastronomy and tourism. Likewise, it allows us to provide training and to offer tools to help entrepreneurs to develop projects with the potential to transform and have a positive impact on both companies and destinations, promoting gastronomic tourism as a tool to guarantee the sustainability of the destination.”

The call for proposals for the and UNWTO and Basque Culinary Center’s Global Gastronomy Tourism Startup Competition has been launched worldwide and will close on 6 April. The finalists of the Startups category and the winners of the Social Innovation Category will be announced on 4 May 2020.

The Startups category winner winning startup will be announced between 1 and 3 June, during the 6th Edition World Forum on Gastronomy Tourism to be held in Flanders, Belgium.

For more information and registration materials, visit https://www.gastronomytourismventures.org/en

Related links

• Donwload PDF
• UNWTO and Basque Culinary Center launch Guidelines for the Development of Gastronomy Tourism
• Job Creation and Entrepreneurship take Centre Stage at UNWTO World Forum on Gastronomy Tour
• Announcement of the Finalists of the 1st Global Gastronomy Tourism Startup Competition

About Basque Culinary Center

Basque Culinary Center is a pioneering academic institution worldwide, created by seven of the top Basque chefs along with Mondragon University, and with the involvement of eleven of the most influential chefs in the world.

The main aim of Basque Culinary Center is higher education, research, innovation and promotion of gastronomy and nutrition.

Since its creation, in September 2011, we have worked to become the international benchmark in this field and also to promote gastronomy as a lever of social-economic development through the Faculty of Gastronomic Sciences and the Centre for Research and Innovation. We also develop many different promotional activities.

Media contacts:

UNWTO – Communication Department
comm@unwto.org
+ 34 91 567 8100

BCC – Communication Department
comunicacion@bculinary.com
+34 943 57 45 17
www.bculinary.com

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Tourism startups focus on innovation and sustainability

• All Regions
• 10 Jan 2020

• Finalists announced for 2nd UNWTO Global Tourism Startup Competition in partnership with Globalia
• Final phase to be held on 20 January, on the eve of FITUR
• Entries from 150 countries received

The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), in association with Globalia, the leading tourism group in Spain and Latin America, has selected the finalists of the 2nd Global Tourism Startup Competition, an initiative that the two entities have been working on since 2018 when its first edition was held.

In the competition’s first two editions, Wakalua, the global tourism innovation hub powered by Globalia, in collaboration with the World Tourism Organization, has received proposals of nearly 5,000 startups from 150 countries. The countries with the highest number of projects submitted have been Spain, followed by India, the United States, Portugal, Nigeria and Colombia.

The second edition features startups in a more mature stage, with 10% having had more than EUR 500,000 in turnover in 2018. The finalists will present their projects at the Wakalua headquarters in Madrid. Seven will win awards in their respective categories.

Sustainability
Building on the success of the inaugural competition, this new edition continues to identify new companies that will lead the sector’s transformation. The aim and common denominator is to achieve a sustainable and profitable future through technology and innovation. This initiative is supported by partners such as Turismo de Portugal, Telefónica, Amadeus, Intu Costa del Sol, IE Africa Center and Distrito Digital Valencia, among others.

These partners will participate actively in the final decision and in the subsequent promotion, financing rounds and implementation of the pilot projects with the winners:

Categories
This annual competition is one of the flagship projects of Wakalua, the tourism innovation hub powered by Globalia in collaboration with the World Tourism Organization. Wakalua will host the winning startups for further development, providing support in order to establish links with leading companies in the sector. Innovation consulting firm Barrabés.biz is also a partner making this project possible.

Deep Tech, rethinking location and geolocation: With the backing of Amadeus, the aim in this category is to select the best startup that simplifies trips for customers or suppliers using location systems. Solutions that combine location data with artificial intelligence can be used to identify tourism regions, associate them with nearby airports, optimize, and offer opinion mining, among others.

Smart Mobility: In partnership with Telefónica, this category features projects that improve the quality of travel and that facilitate the mobility of users using any transport system. The objective is to reduce economic, environmental and time costs.

Smart Destinations: With the collaboration of Distrito Digital Valencia, solutions will be identified to improve the sustainability and profitability of destinations from the economic, environmental and socio-cultural perspectives by leveraging technology to help foster innovation and accessibility in an increasingly globalized world.

Disruptive Hospitality: Intu Costa del Sol will analyse companies that contribute to optimizing the total experience of travellers by combining the best solutions in the world of retail, shopping centres, food, leisure and hotels, so that, through personalized services and digital connectivity, every trip can be as efficient and effective as possible.

Rural Development: Globalia will place special emphasis on rural areas with the objective of transferring knowledge and innovation, and improving their viability and competitiveness. With the overall objective of promoting a shift towards an increasingly low-carbon economy, this category also seeks out companies devoted to risk management and animal welfare, as well as the restoration, preservation and improvement of ecosystems.

Innovative tourism solutions: Turismo de Portugal will present an award for the best innovation project outside the above categories.

Special award for sustainability: In addition, the UNWTO and Globalia will present a special sustainability award with the aim of giving more visibility to projects that are committed to more efficient and sustainable tourism.

Lastly, the IE Africa Center will recognize 2 projects in terms of social impact in Africa, awarding them with the Social Innovation Retreat scholarship, Sun Cycles Namibia and Enjoy Agriculture Senegal, presenting their initiatives. The winner of the Travel Tech 4 Good accelerator, in collaboration with the Tui Care Foundation and Enpact,  Halla Travel, will also present its startup.

Finalists by category:

Deep Tech:
Klustera (Mexico)
TravelX (India/USA)

Smart Mobility:
Eccocar (Spain)
Zeleros (Spain)

Smart Destinations:
Road.Travel (Russia)
Visualfy (Spain)

Disruptive Hospitality:
Hackpacking (Peru)
Questo (Romania)

Rural development:
i-likelocal  (Netherlands)
Rutopia  (Mexico)

Innovative tourism solutions:
HiJiffy  (Portugal)
LUGGit (Portugal)                 

Sustainability:
Adventure Junky (Australia)
La Voyageuse (France)
Live Electric Tours (Portugal)
Pikala (Morocco)

About Globalia
Globalia is the leading tourism group in Spain and Latin America, with an annual turnover close to 4 billion euros in 2018. With a presence in more than 60 countries and 15,000 employees, Globalia provides services to all sectors of the world of tourism. It comprises a number of independent companies that are leaders in their markets, including Air Europa (airline), Halcón Viajes (travel agencies), Travelplan (tour operator), Be Live (hotel chain) and Groundforce (airport handling).

Contact for media:

UNWTO - Communications Department
comm@unwto.org
+34 91 567 8100
www.unwto.org

Globalia - Communications Department
globaliacomunicacion@globalia.com
+34 91 540 16 82
www.globalia.com
Director of Communication: Miguel Angel Uriondo; Tel.: (+34) 657 97 77 15

Download PDF

• Tourism startups focus on innovation and sustainability

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World’s Most Disruptive Sports Tourism Start-Ups Celebrated at Global Tourism Economy Forum in Macau, SAR

• All Regions
• 13 Oct 2019

Macau, SAR 13 October 2019 – The growing sports tourism sector took centre stage at the Global Tourism Economy Forum in Macau, SAR with the first ‘SPORTSTECH’ edition of the World Tourism Organization’s Tourism Tech Adventures initiative celebrating the most disruptive ideas and innovators from around the world. This served as the ideal backdrop to determine the winner of the 1st UNWTO Sports Tourism Start-up Competition, launched with the Barca Innovation hub of Football Club FC Barcelona and supported by the Qatar National Tourism Council.

As the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) reports that rising numbers of tourists are travelling for sports or wellbeing, the competition was launched the with aim of identifying supporting start-ups that excel in a number of ways, including their potential for scaling-up and ability to help contribute to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.

Within the framework of the Global Tourism Economy Forum, five finalists from the 1st UNWTO Sports Tourism Start-up Competition were invited to Macau for a special masterclass on pitching and attracting investment. The finalists faced-off in a “Start-Up Battlefield” following sessions focused on the future of sports tourism and the potential for disruptive technologies to create value for tourism.

The winner of this first edition is Runnin’City (Belgium), a smartphone app (http://runnin.city) that allows users to discover over 200 cities around the world while running (or walking).

UNWTO General-Secretary Zurab Pololikashvili, opened the Tourism Tech Adventure event, highlighting the United Nations agency’s strong support for innovation, said: “Tourism and sport create decent jobs, promote local culture and provide opportunities for SMEs and entrepreneurs.  Sports tourism can also contribute to creating peace, sustainability and inclusiveness, building bridges between different countries and cultures. UNWTO welcomes innovation in this niche sector and congratulates all today’s finalists on their vision and determination.”

The other finalists that beat off strong competition from hundreds of start-ups from around the world to make it to Macau, were:

Flyfoot (Lebanon)- Fly-Foot is the first online platform where football fans can book all- inclusive travel packages to watch their favorite teams play with just a few clicks and fosters local football communities.
Inclusive Society Led by Persons with Disabilities (Japan) - a travel agency specialized in adapting travel and sports to individuals with limited mobility to increase social inclusion.
Oevit (United States of America)- one-stop-shop solution for experience ecosystems. Oveit combines near field communication and biometric payments, audience engagement, loyalty programs, access control, registration and (e)ticketing.
WeFish (Spain)- Offers a fishing application which is interactive, simple and social - developed by fishers for fishers.

Related Links

www.unwto-barcainnovationhub-challenge.org
https://barcainnovationhub.com/
https://www.visitqatar.qa/NationalTourismCouncil/en/
http://gte-forum.com/en/homepage/

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Finalists of the 1st Global Sports Tourism Start-up Competition announced

• All Regions
• 30 Sep 2019

PR No.: PR 19063

The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) in collaboration with FC Barcelona’s Barça Innovation Hub, and with the support of the Qatar National Tourism Council have announced the finalists and semi-finalists of the 1st Sports Tourism Startup Competition, which recognizes disruptive, inspirational projects that have the potential to make an invaluable contribution to innovation in sports tourism.

Over 100 initiatives were submitted from over 50 countries. Finalists were selected from all over the world with solutions ranging from new technologies, community-based tourism development platforms, software initiatives and innovation-driven sports tech projects; all contributing to the advancement of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The top five selected Startups in the area of Tourism & Technology will present their pitches to investors, sports tourism experts and tourism stakeholders at the 1st UNWTO Sports Tourism Tech Adventure, to be held within the framework of the Global Tourism Economy Forum on 13 October 2019. The overall winner will be selected by an official jury.

Following on from this, the winner of the 1st UNWTO Tourism Tech Adventure: SportsTech along with the top 4 startups in the field of Sports & Technology will be invited to compete in a second challenge at the Barcelona Innovation Hub Headquarters in early 2020.

Natalia Bayona, Senior Expert on Innovation and Digital Transformation, at UNWTO says: “Thanks to this startup competition, we have had the opportunity to meet young talent with global views, entrepreneurs full of new solutions that are adding value in the tourism chain via new technologies and new ways to promote sports tourism. The finalists of this competition will be able to launch a pilot project alongside the Barça Innovation Hub or receive funding from specialized investors that would be part of the jury in our next UNWTO Tourism Tech Adventures Forum in Macao”

List of Finalists in Tourism Tech (in alphabetical order):

Flyfoot (Lebanon)- Fly-Foot is the first online platform where football fans can book all- inclusive travel packages to watch their favorite teams play with just a few clicks and fosters local football communities.

Inclusive Society Led by Persons with Disabilities (Japan) - a travel agency specialized in adapting travel and sports to individuals with limited mobility to increase social inclusion.

Oevit (United States)- one-stop-shop solution for experience ecosystems. Oveit combines near field communication and biometric payments, audience engagement, loyalty programs, access control, registration and (e)ticketing.

Wefish (Spain)- Offers a fishing application which is interactive, simple and social - developed by fishers for fishers.

Runnin’City (Belgium)- Runnin’City (http://runnin.city) is a smartphone app that allows you to discover over 200 cities around the world while running (or walking)

List of Finalists in Sports Tech (in alphabetical order):

Aguardio (Denmark)
Bringsta GmbH (Austria)
Questo (Romania)
Sportcompass (Romania/Denmark)

List of Semi- Finalists (in alphabetical order):

1.  Bacharkh (Iran)
2.  Circular Traveler (Spain)
3.  Instafly (Canada)
4.  Nomadic Escapes (Mauritius)
5.  Questips (Colombia)
6.  Rau Eco and Cultural Tourism enterprise (Tanzania)
7.  Run Africa (Ethiopia
8.  Runnar Tech (China)
9.  Shambit (Iran/Germany)
10. Sky-Pic (Israel/Austria)
11. ViaVii (Jordan)

Useful links:

https://unwto-barcainnovationhub-challenge.org/en/

https://barcainnovationhub.com/

https://www.visitqatar.qa/NationalTourismCouncil/en/

Contacts:

UNWTO Communications Department

Tel: (+34) 91 567 8100 / Fax: +34 91 567 8218 / comm@unwto.org

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The World Tourism Organization and Globalia launch the 2nd Global Tourism Start-up Competition

• All Regions
• 12 Sep 2019

PR No.: PR 19055

The initiative has received backing from partners such as Telefónica, Amadeus, Intu and Distrito Digital Valencia.

Proposals from around the world will begin arriving 13 September at Wakalua, Globalia's tourism innovation hub.

St. Petersburg (Russia), 13 September 2019. The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) has joined Globalia, a leading tourism group in Spain and Latin America, to launch the second edition of the UNWTO Global Tourism Start-up Competition. After the success of the first edition, which attracted 3,000 applications from across the globe, the world’s largest start-up competition for tourism has returned to identify ideas and innovators who will lead the transformation of the sector.

The new call for proposals was announced during the 23rd General Session of the UNWTO General Assembly in St Petersburg, Russian Federation. Announcing the news, UNWTO General-Secretary stressed the important role innovation can play in making tourism a central part of the Sustainable Development Agenda.  

"With this competition we are exploring new terrain in tourism, innovation, entrepreneurship and sustainable development. We have succeeded in bringing together the most relevant stakeholders in the progress of our sector and its relevance on a global scale", said Zurab Pololikashvili.

Joining him for the announcement, Globalia CEO Javier Hidalgo emphasised the collaborative effort of this second edition, with support from partners including Telefónica, Amadeus, Intu and Distrito Digital Valencia.

“Wakalua will help us to foresee a bright, sustainable, and profitable future. It will help us to promote a circular economy and foster social development. Globalia knows that the tourism of the future will not be the same as the tourism of yesterday. It needs to be better for our planet, for our kids, and the environment. This competition will help us to achieve those goals through technology and innovation” said Globalia's CEO.  

The new partners will actively engage in promoting the project's five categories in addition to choosing the best solutions and most disruptive projects based on new business models:

Smart mobility

In partnership with Telefónica, this category is for projects that improve travel quality and facilitate user mobility on any type of transport. The aim here is to reduce economic, environmental and time-related costs.

Smart Destinations

This category, supported by Distrito Digital Valencia, is for ideas that improve the sustainability and profitability of a destination from an economic, environmental and socio-cultural perspective, with technology shown to promote innovation and accessibility in an increasingly globalised world.

Deep Tech, rethinking localisation and geolocation

Awarded in partnership with Amadeus, this category is for ideas that provide a unique value to tourists and travel companies through localization systems. The category will be focused on ideas for using data extracted through AI and localization technology to make trips even easier. These ideas can be used to identify tourist destinations, link them to nearby airports, extract data on image, text or video localization, optimise urban routes, analyse reviews about locations and much more.

Disruptive hospitality

In collaboration with Intu, this category is aimed at identifying new or already established companies from all over the world to help Globalia give guests of the future a first-class experience in every way.

Rural development

Globalia will make a special effort to provide solutions for the forestry, agricultural and rural sectors, aiming to bolster the transfer of knowledge and innovation and improve viability and competitiveness. This category also seeks companies that work in risk management, animal welfare and the restoration, preservation and improvement of ecosystems, with a continuous focus on promoting the shift towards a decarbonised economy.

Furthermore, UNWTO will award a special sustainability prize to lend visibility to projects that are committed to more efficient tourism.

This annual competition is a major project from Wakalua, Globalia's tourism innovation hub, which will guide the winning start-ups, connect them with leading companies in the sector and support them as they scale-up their ideas. To accomplish this, UNWTO and Globalia have the support of the innovation consultancy firm Barrabes.

In the first call, 20 startups in 12 countries reached the semifinals and finals held in Budapest and Madrid, respectively. The tax return company Refundit, was the winner and Globalia, as a financial partner, also invested in Freebird together with Portugal Ventures, established a joint venture with Tripscience and launched a pilot with Pruvo.

The call for proposals for the 2nd UNWTO Tourism Startup Competition will be launched worldwide and will end on 15 November. The winners will be announced on 21 January 2020 during a gala event held during the Madrid International Tourism Fair (Fitur).

 For more information and registration materials, visit www.tourismstartups.org.

About the UNWTO

The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) is the United Nations agency responsible for promoting responsible, sustainable and universally accessible tourism. As the leading international organisation in the field of tourism, the 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.

About Globalia

Globalia is the largest tourist group in Spain and Latin America, with an annual revenue of nearly €4 billion in 2018. Operating in more than 60 countries and with 15,000 employees, Globalia offers services to all sectors of the tourism industry. It comprises a number of independent companies that are leaders in their markets, including Air Europa (airline), Halcón Viajes (travel agencies), Travelplan (tour operator), Be Live (hotel chain) and Groundforce (airport ground handling).

Media contact:

UNWTO – Communication Department
comm@unwto.org
+ 34 91 567 8100
www.unwto.org

Globalia - Communication Department
globaliacomunicacion@globalia.com
+ 34 91 540 16 82
www.globalia.com
Communications Manager: Miguel Angel Uriondo; Tel.: (+34) 657 97 77 15

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