RationaleTourism is one of the best positioned sectors to drive inclusive growth, create jobs, reduce poverty, and foster sustainable development, peace and understanding. Accounting for 10% of the world GDP and one in every ten jobs, tourism has a significant impact on exports, job creation, investment, and the development of infrastructure, cultural preservation and social inclusion.

Given its cross-sectorial nature, tourism’s wide reach also stimulates entrepreneurship and the growth of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs), which along with start-ups, are important drivers of innovation and job creation. Furthermore, tourism engages all sectors to contribute to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations.

With a view towards fostering tourism innovation ecosystems at a regional level and helping start-ups achieve high-quality investment and scale up, UNWTO Tourism Tech Adventures (TTAs) are organized to bring together key actors in the tourism innovation ecosystems: Governments, Academia, Start-ups, Corporations and Business Developers (incubators, accelerators, etc.) and create meaningful partnerships. UNWTO has carried out TTAs in the past and received relevant positive feedback on the need for such training sessions and events.

WHERE: Worldwide

BENEFICIARIES: Regional Innovation Ecosystems, public sector, private sector, in particular startups

PARTNERS: Ministries of Tourism

DURATION: 6-18 months per region

TOTAL COST: 150,000 EUR per region (5 Regions 750,000 EUR)

SDGs:

Project BriefUNWTO Tourism Tech Adventures: The way forward in innovation and technology

BackgroundThe rise of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) has shaken up not only the way we plan and book our trips, but also the way businesses are made. The combination of telecommunications, computers, Internet, databases, wireless technology, GPS and smartphones has, amongst other things, facilitated the development of effective platforms to connect people and businesses, exchange information and execute transactions. For both public entities and private companies alike, it offers an indispensable and very powerful tool for management, logistics, distribution and marketing.

Moreover, this new era has brought a digital tourist who is more autonomous, hyper-connected and increasingly used to more personalized customer service.

These shifts in customer expectations, new technologies and industry trends are compelling the sector to adapt its business and operating models in its quest for enhanced customer preferences, operational performance and sustainability.

Big Data and Artificial Intelligence can help tourism stakeholders understand the needs of locals and tourists in order to foster more culturally, economically and environmentally beneficial solutions. Tapping into the possibilities of intelligent travel technology will lead to smarter management, ultimately resulting in a more attractive and positive experience for both visitors and the cities that host them. TTAs are tourism innovation events that gather representatives from the public sector, industry leaders, academia, entrepreneurs, startups and investors with the ultimate goal of stimulating innovation, entrepreneurship and investments in the tourism sector.

Overall Objective

The overall objective is to increase awareness on the role of technology and innovation in building a sustainable and responsible tourism sector that contributes to the 2030 Agenda and the 17 SDGs.

• Bring together key actors of the Tourism Innovation Ecosystem: Governments, Academia, Start-ups, Corporations and Business Developers (incubators, accelerators, etc.);

• Provide regional Start-ups with feedback on their current business plans and information on the how to navigate the world of investment and internationalize their projects;

• Provide regional Tourism Authorities with information on how to respond to the changes associated with the 4th Industrial Revolution and become “data driven” decision makers;

• Create a platform for meaningful dialogue and the exchange of ideas

Main Activities

• High-Level Seminar for Tourism Authorities

• Startup Masterclass for 10-15 regional startups

• Attract high-level business leaders and investors to take part in panel sessions

• Provide follow-up and connect participants (investors with startups, etc.)

Project Outputs

UNWTO Tourism Tech Adventures have brought together over 80 startups from all 5 UNWTO regions. These companies have benefited from mentorship sessions given by innovation leaders such as IE Business School, Moonrakers Co. and Amadeus. In addition, they had the opportunity to pitch their projects in front of Ministers of Tourism, international business leaders and investors representing top firms such as Rakuten, Portugal Ventures, Vynn Capital, Thayer Ventures and Plug and Play.

Similarly, over 200 Tourism Authorities, including Ministers of Tourism, have benefitted from High-Level Seminars organized by IE Business School. In these sessions topics such as Smart Cities, digitalization of the tourism sector and the importance of digital marketing strategies were covered with the aim of transforming Tourism Authorities into “data driven” public tech decision makers.

Outcomes

• UNWTO Startup Competitions and TTAs have brought together Ministers of Tourism, over 80 investors, almost 30 business development partners and over 3,400 start-ups, representing 6,800 full-time high-skilled jobs. In addition, over 80 startups from all 5 UNWTO regions have benefited from UNWTO Startup Masterclasses;

• 9 winning startups from UNWTO TTAs have gone on to complete acceleration programmes with development partners such as Globalia, Portugal Ventures, Unidigital, IE Business School, StartEgypt, Wayra and Selina.

Impacts

• Connections made within the regional tourism innovation ecosystem.

For more information, contact UNWTO: Institutional Relations and Partnerships at SDG17@unwto.org

Tourism is a powerful vehicle to promote and reach the milestones of the ambitious 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development given that it is one of the most important sectors in the global economy and a main job and wealth creator for many countries. Tourism is now the third largest export category in the world, behind fuels and chemicals, and ahead of food and automotive. It provides 1 in 10 jobs and contributes to more than 10% of global GDP. In 2018 alone, international tourist arrivals amounted to 1.4 billion and generated US$ 1.5 trillion, while domestic tourism generated a further US$ 3.88 trillion.

But the sector doesn’t just play a role in economic growth; it is most remarkable for its potential to improve the quality of people’s lives. Truly sustainable tourism can act as a catalyst for environmental protection, champion diverse cultural heritage, and contribute to peace-building in the world. In all these areas, tourism offers great potential to advance sustainable development, and thus contributes – directly and indirectly – to the achievement of all 17 SDGs.

The World Tourism Organization has been providing technical assistance in countries across the globe for more than 40 years, supported by a wide range of donors, in partnerships with other IOs, Civil Society and the private sector. It has knowledge and expertise in the development of a sustainable, responsible and accessible tourism sector that contributes to a better world.

To scale up the efforts to unlock aid flows for tourism in the new 2030 aid architecture, UNWTO has developed a co-creation space in the T4SDGs platform for sharing developing countries’ needs.

Please visit www.Tourism4SDGs.org