Press Release
Sustainability and innovation are the pillars of tourism.
The first WTFL Indian Start-Up Innovation Camp will take place in Bangalore on December 17-18, 2019.
Lucerne, August 27, 2019 – Together with Tata Trusts, the Indian Hotels Company Limited (IHCL), Swissnex and the Global Himalayan Expedition, the World Tourism Forum Lucerne (WTFL) is looking for start-ups based in the Indian subcontinent to join the first WTFL Indian Start-Up Innovation Competition & Camp. The competition will take place on December 17 and 18 in Bangalore and is open to start-ups active in conservation, community, culture and commerce. They will have the chance to win 10,000 USD and two-years of coaching. Start-ups will also have the unique opportunity to pitch to international investors and companies in the tourism industry. Application is free of charge.
Sustainability and innovation are the cornerstones of the future global tourism industry. The first Indian WTFL Start-Up Innovation Camp, which will take place on December 17 and 18, 2019 in Bangalore, the capital of the start-up industry, is geared towards these core issues. The event is a novelty as it is the first competition to take place on the Indian subcontinent and thus presents itself as the World Tourism Forum's exclusive regional platform. The camp is open to start-ups that are active in the following areas:
Conservation (Of nature and natural resources and assets including green infrastructure, water management, recycling, upcycling)
Community (Rural, eco, ethnic and authentic tourism experiences in remote locations that lead to positive economic, environmental and social impact)
Culture (Collaborative and inclusive preservation of tradition, local culture and skills including food, and culinary co-hosting and revival)
Commerce (An open category for all tech enabled, disruptive, innovative, change making, groundbreaking ideas in the sector)
Start-ups must not be older than five years and be headquartered in the Indian continent. "With the first WTFL Indian Start-Up Innovation Camp, we are launching a targeted campaign to promote entrepreneurship on the Indian subcontinent. The focus on sustainability and innovation has deliberately been chosen because we see it as the future of the global tourism industry," says Martin Barth, CEO of the World Tourism Forum Lucerne. The value of the camp as a sustainable network is particularly important for him: "The start-ups have the unique opportunity to network with investors, industry experts and academics".
Worldwide recognition thanks to UNWTO
The first WTFL Indian Start-Up Innovation Camp helps to further develop the digital platform "Dealflow-tool" of the World Tourism Forum Lucerne. The success of the platform is documented by the fact that it is now also used by the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO). The "Dealflow-tool" brings digital start-up companies together with investors and service providers. The core is a structured database that continuously tracks down promising start-ups and leads them to the platform, thus creating a type of "ecosystem".
Contact:
World Tourism Forum Lucerne
Martin Barth, President & CEO
T: +41 41 228 99 80
martin.barth@wtflucerne.org
www.wtflucerne.org
indian.startup2019.wtflucerne.org
Press:
Akomag Corporate Communications AG
Ronald Joho-Schumacher
T: +41 41 618 07 07
M: +41 79 341 53 67
rjoho@akomag.ch
www.akomag.ch