Last year was catastrophic for tourism and the millions of people who depend on it. After six decades of extraordinary growth, the sector was brought to a near-complete standstill by the COVID-19 pandemic.

We need to kickstart tourism’s recovery for the millions who, for more than a year now, have been left struggling including numerous suppliers and businesses. It is also time to step up digitalization among companies and the tourism workforce, upskilling the sector to become more resilient. Digital technologies need to be used to increase security and boost travellers’ confidence.

At the same time, we must look beyond the immediate restart of tourism. This crisis is an opportunity to rethink tourism. For instance, so-called “over tourism” had been a concern in many places prior to the pandemic. Now is the moment to redesign and adjust tourism policies and management, including through greater diversification, more innovative products and the revitalization of rural areas.

This is where you step in! Startups that demonstrate the value of their solutions to prominent Travel & Tourism SME's and that can make a significant contribution to change the industry’s landscape will lead the way into a 3-month piloting opportunity.