• From the more than 120 startups from around the globe that submitted their applications to the UNWTO Startup Competition, ten have risen as finalists.
• Tickets to attend the expert presentations and the award ceremony can be free upon registration at the website.
  

The most innovative digital and technological solutions for the tourism sector take centre stage at the ‘Tourism Tech Adventures Canarias, Innovation in Hotels and New Business Models,’ a gathering for industry professionals organized by the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) and Infecar Gran Canaria Trade Fair, powered by the Cabildo of Gran Canaria and with collaboration from the Economic Promotion Society of Gran Canaria (SPEGC). The event, set to take place next Tuesday, 20th February, will bring together speeches from renowned experts and the final phase of the UNWTO Startup Competition.

Thus, on the occasion of the Canarian Business Digitalization Trade Show, DigiON 2024, Infecar and the UNWTO have joined forces once again to bring together tourism professionals in Gran Canaria and highlight the opportunities that digitalization offers the sector for its reinvention through new and innovative business models.

The programme of presentations within this event, moderated by the UNWTO’s Innovation, Education, and Investments Department Coordinator, Peter Janech, will feature talks from the Director of Alumni and Industry Relations of The Hague School of Hospitality, Paul Griep; the Business Development Manager at Kerten Hospitality, Theo Bortoluzzi; the Global Director of Sustainability at Amadeus, Agnes Pierce; and the Director of Innovation at Atlantis Technology and Systems, Coqui García Román, who will focus their speeches on how to transform hospitality through strategic investments in technology, innovation, and education. In the second panel of the programme, the experts will discuss integrating technology and digital tools into public-private policies to enhance social well-being and preserve the environment. This panel will feature presentations from the Vice President of Sustainable Business at Minor Hotels Europe & Americas, María Elena Ruiz García, the Media Relations Head and Spokesperson for TUI Group, Kuzey Alexander Esener, and the Director of Sustainability and Social Impact at The Social Hub, Amber Westerborg.

UNWTO rewards the best startups in the sector

The final phase of the “Solutions for Hotels and New Business Models: Canary Islands 2024” Startup Competition rounds off the programming of the UNWTO’s ‘Tourism Tech Adventures Canarias: Innovation in Hotels and New Business Models’. Out of the more than 120 startups that entered the contest, five finalists were chosen in each category: ‘Innovations in Digital Hospitality and New Business Models’ and ‘Sustainability Impact’.

The finalists will be able to defend their innovative business models before the awards ceremony, scheduled for 13:00 on 20th February. The companies Schulering (Czech Republic), Everhost (United States), Twistic (Spain), Sparkle Haze (United Arab Emirates), and Ostel Flow (Tunisia) are the finalists in the ‘Hospitality and New Business Models’ category, while the second category related to sustainability, the startups Senange Eco (Indonesia), Hotels for Trees (Netherlands), Effiwaste (Spain), Weavesight (Canada), and Purple Elephant Ventures (Kenya) will participate.

The programme will conclude with announcing the competition winners, one per category, and the award ceremony. The two winning startups will become members of the UNWTO Innovation Network and benefit from a training programme. Additionally, on the day before, Monday 19th February, the ten finalists will receive training mentorship from sector experts.

Tickets to attend the presentations framed within the ‘Tourism Tech Adventures Canarias, Hospitality Challenge: Innovation in Hotels and New Business Models’ and the Startup Competition awards ceremony, organized by the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) and Infecar, can be acquired for free upon registration at the website, where all information related to the competition and awards ceremony can also be found.