World Tourism Forum Lucerne announces 2018 Start-up Innovation Camp winners

Competition sees 15 firms drawn from over 200 entrants Continue reading →

The winners of the third World Tourism Forum Lucerne Start-Up Innovation Camp were announced at this week’s Pacific Asia Travel Association Travel Mart.

This year’s competition saw 15 innovative start-ups drawn from over 200 from 54 countries that entered compete for $15,000 of funding in five categories.

These were: Destination, Hospitality, Mobility, Impact and Transaction. The five winners hailed from from Namibia, Singapore, France and the Philippines.

They included:

rainmaker (Namibia) – Destination category
A VISTA Destination Network Open Platform and Ecosystem democratises technology and creates competitive advantages for Hospitality and Tourism Businesses, leaving more tourism spend in destination.
rainmaker.travel

Igloohome (Singapore) – Category Hospitality
Igloohome designs smart access solutions for smart management of properties and infrastructure. We are an official partner of major homesharing platforms such as Airbnb and have sold our products to over 80 countries.
igloohome.co 

Wingly (France) – Category Mobility
Wingly is the leading flight sharing platform, connecting private pilots with passengers to share their flights, passion and costs.
wingly.io

Good For Food (Singapore) – Category Impact
Good For Food’s Smart Dustbin empowers hotels with data analytics to reduce their food waste, cost and environmental footprint.
goodforfood.sg 

TripClub (Philippines) – Category Transaction
TripClub is a technology-powered concierge currently focused on the high growth blockchain and tech markets.
trip.club 

As well as the £15,000 price each winner was given a two-year coaching programme with an experienced industry executive and a free ticket to World Tourism Forum Lucerne 2019 next May in Switzerland.

Roland Zeller, WTFL chairman of the Jury and a leading entrepreneur and business angel said:

“The competition was tough – not just because of the quantity of applications and wide spectrum of nationalities, but because of the quality and strength of innovative thinking among the young entrepreneurs from the travel, tourism and hospitality industry.

“We shouldn’t forget that innovation is a major force for sustainable growth, development and healthy competitiveness in our industry.”

WTFL president and chief executive added: “New and disruptive business models are essential for the development of our industry.

“The yearly WTFL Start-up Innovation Camps are platforms that play a vital role in finding these models and giving them a chance to present their ideas in front of the international investors, industry executives and media in order to increase their exposure and build their networks in the industry.

“Innovation, exchange of ideas between different generations, diversity and the concern for the sustainable development in our industry are the core pillars of World Tourism Forum Lucerne’s identity.

“In the next half year we will make even a step further – we will launch an online deal-flow tool in order for start-ups and investors to find each other, which will complete our activities around innovation and entrepreneurship.”

PATA chief executive Dr Mario Hardy said: “It was inspiring for our delegates and myself to hear from the 15 finalists.

“Their entrepreneurial spirit and transformative mindsets need to be fully embraced by the industry as we work towards the development of a responsible travel and tourism industry.

“I would like to congratulate all the winners and look forward to seeing their businesses further develop in the future.”