Startups from around the world have been recognized for their unique contributions to sustainable and responsible tourism in the UNWTO SDGs Global Startup Competition.
The competition, which was supported by the United Nations Innovation Network, attracted some 10,000 initial proposals. From these, the jury chose 25 winners from 18 countries, highlighting the array of tourism talent in every global region and its widespread ability to contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Shortlisted finalists were judged according to criteria which included the potential of the startups to contribute to a specific Goal, their ability to be scaled-up and the maturity of both the product and the team behind it.
The 25 winning startups, selected by a jury made up of leaders from across the tourism sector, offer distinct solutions for advancing the SDGs. The Americas led the way in submitting winning proposals, with nine of the competition winners coming from the region. Europe provided eight winners, Asia and the Pacific six, and Africa and the Middle East one winner each.
By embracing innovation, we can realise this potential and build a better future for people and planet through tourism
“The winners show the power of new ideas for transforming our sector”, said UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili in recognizing tourism’s potential to contribute to all Sustainable Development Goals. He added: “By embracing innovation, we can realise this potential and build a better future for people and planet through tourism. I congratulate them all and look forward to seeing these startups grow and deliver positive change.”
Lisandro Menu-Marque, Director-General of International Business Development for Globalia and Wakalua said: "The take-off of post-Covid tourism is moving closer and closer. The implementation of many of the innovative solutions, which have been brought us entrepreneurs from all over the world, will be part of this. The collaboration of institutions, governments and corporations will help host and scale up many of these projects through the Wakalua Hub, to make tourism a much more sustainable, responsible and socially impactful sector, all with the support of the UNWTO.”
Globalia is a key ally of UNWTO in its shift to lead the positive transformation of the sector, working together to identify and promote innovation through several competitions over recent years.
Likewise, Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive and Qatar National Tourism Council Secretary General, H.E. Mr. Akbar Al Baker, said: “Congratulations to all 25 winning startups that have showcased unique and pioneering solutions for sustainable tourism. We look forward to welcoming and hosting top startups at the Tourism Tech Adventures Forum in Doha, Qatar, which will boast a truly distinctive pitching opportunity.”
The winning startups will now be given expert support and backing to develop further, including through guided mentorship programmes from Amadeus, Google, IE University and FarCo, and tailored mentorship sessions from Mastercard and ClarkeModet.
The winners will also be invited to take part in a pitching event, to be hosted by Wakalua within the framework of Spain’s International Tourism Fair (FITUR). Another pitching event will take place at the Tourism Tech Adventures Forum, due to be held in Qatar in collaboration with Qatar Airways and Qatar National Tourism Council, another key partner for the project.
Furthermore, the winners will benefit from access to all UNWTO’s collaborators for the competition, opening the door for potential game-changing pilots and networking opportunities with Amazon Web Services, Globant, BBVA, the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and IDB Lab, Telefonica, Plug and Play, the Advanced Leadership Foundation, Impact Hub, mentorDay and the destination partners for the Competition.
The winners and the SDG that the startup will help advance are as follows:
Etnica (Guatemala)
Ifarm Agritech (Kenya)
BlueDot (Canada)
Immersion India (India)
Sisterwave (Brazil)
ECOLOO Greentech Malaysia SDN BHD (Malaysia)
Source (United States of America)
BeFC (France)
Enexor BioEnergy (United States of America)
Swimsol (Austria)
Clio Muse Tours PC (Greece)
Community Homestay Network (Nepal)
DefinedCrowd (United States of America)
FREED GROUP (aka TravelFlan) (Hong Kong)
Travaxy - accessible travel (Israel)
Lumitics (Singapore)
ClimateTrade (Spain)
Opus 12, Inc. (United States of America)
Safety Line (France)
Seven Clean Seas (Singapore)
Impulse Travel (Colombia)
Nibi (Colombia)
Siliconbali (Portugal)
Dear Affiliate Members,
The year 2021 has started with a very important meeting for the Organization: the 113th UNTWO Executive Council, which was held on 18-19 January 2021 in Madrid (Spain). I would like to share my satisfaction for the great visibility of the activities of the Affiliate Members in this relevant event.
The Affiliate Members and the Board of Affiliate Members had an excellent representation through the Communication of the Board, Ms Ana Larrañaga, who presented the main activities carried out by the affiliates since the previous Executive Council, held in September 2020. Among them were the celebration, under excellent conditions in a very difficult context, of our 42nd Plenary Session, and the preparation of our Programme of Work 2021, with excellent proposals from the Affiliate Members in support of the Organization’s priorities. Another important initiative, which was highlighted, was the initiation of the process of the Reform of the Legal Framework for Affiliate Membership, and the creation of a Working Group to achieve this important mandate.
During 2021, the implementation of the Legal Reform will be of high priority for the Affiliate Members Department, and for the UNWTO. This much-needed reform will result in a more modern and efficient functioning of the AM network, and, consequently, in an improved partnership between the Organization and the private sector. Therefore, the contributions of the Affiliate Members in this matter are vital. Hence, the Chair of the Board, with the support of my Department, will organize a series of consultations throughout the year aimed at gathering your very valuable input.
As the new year starts, it is time to work on the activities and plans taking place in 2021, which I am sure we will successfully implement. I want to emphasize that the Affiliate Members currently have a well-deserved opportunity to actively participate in all UNWTO priority initiatives to restart tourism, such as the development of an International Code for the Protection of Tourists.
The participation of the Affiliate Members in the above-mentioned projects, and other key initiatives, will be permanently sustained by a very broad and in-depth consultation with the members of the Board and the entire membership.
We will keep you duly updated on these and other activities taking place this year. I strongly encourage you to actively use the AMConnected platform, and other communication channels, where you will find all information published in due time.
As always, I am at your disposal and look forward to hearing any comment you may have.
Yours sincerely,
Ion Vilcu
Global tourism suffered its worst year on record in 2020, with international arrivals dropping by 74% according to the latest data from the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO). Destinations worldwide welcomed 1 billion fewer international arrivals in 2020 than in the previous year, due to an unprecedented fall in demand and widespread travel restrictions. This compares with the 4% decline recorded during the 2009 global economic crisis.
According to the latest UNWTO World Tourism Barometer, the collapse in international travel represents an estimated loss of USD 1.3 trillion in export revenues - more than 11 times the loss recorded during the 2009 global economic crisis. The crisis has put between 100 and 120 million direct tourism jobs at risk, many of them in small and medium-sized enterprises.
While much has been made in making safe international travel a possibility, we are aware that the crisis is far from over
Due to the evolving nature of the pandemic, many countries are now reintroducing stricter travel restrictions. These include mandatory testing, quarantines and in some cases a complete closure of borders, all weighing on the resumption of international travel. At the same time, the gradual rollout of a COVID-19 vaccine is expected to help restore consumer confidence, contribute to the easing travel restrictions and slowly normalize travel during the year ahead.
UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili said: “While much has been made in making safe international travel a possibility, we are aware that the crisis is far from over. The harmonization, coordination and digitalization of COVID-19 travel-related risk reduction measures, including testing, tracing and vaccination certificates, are essential foundations to promote safe travel and prepare for the recovery of tourism once conditions allow."
The latest UNWTO Panel of Experts survey shows a mixed outlook for 2021. Almost half of respondents (45%) envisaged better prospects for 2021 compared to last year, while 25% expect a similar performance and 30% foresee a worsening of results in 2021.
The overall prospects of a rebound in 2021 seem to have worsened. 50% of respondents now expect a rebound to occur only in 2022 as compared to 21% in October 2020. The remaining half of respondents still see a potential rebound in 2021, though below the expectations shown in the October 2020 survey (79% expected recovery in 2021). As and when tourism does restart, the UNWTO Panel of Experts foresee growing demand for open-air and nature-based tourism activities, with domestic tourism and ‘slow travel’ experiences gaining increasing interest.
Looking further ahead, most experts do not to see a return to pre-pandemic levels happening before 2023. In fact, 43% of respondents point to 2023, while 41% expect a return to 2019 levels will only happen in 2024 or later. UNWTO’s extended scenarios for 2021-2024 indicate that it could take two-and-a-half to four years for international tourism to return to 2019 levels.
Asia and the Pacific (-84%) - the first region to suffer the impact of the pandemic and the one with the highest level of travel restrictions currently in place - recorded the largest decrease in arrivals in 2020 (300 million fewer). The Middle East and Africa both recorded a 75% decline.
Europe recorded a 70% decrease in arrivals, despite a small and short-lived revival in the summer of 2020. The region suffered the largest drop in absolute terms, with over 500 million fewer international tourists in 2020. The Americas saw a 69% decrease in international arrivals, following somewhat better results in the last quarter of the year.
A full overview of the latest global, regional and sub-regional data can be found at the UNWTO World Tourism Barometer and the UNWTO Tourism Recovery Tracker.
