Congratulations to this year’s winners of the Social Entrepreneurship Competition in Tourism who were selected during a livestreamed pitch contest and award ceremony on November 18.
The Social Entrepreneurship Competition in Tourism provides social entrepreneurs access to expert knowledge, a mentoring program and international visibility — with the goal to support social tourism entrepreneurs and their efforts to transform the sector and shape a sustainable future for tourism in their destination.
The event was hosted by Dubin’s Kevin O’Shaughnessy and produced by Maria Stoyanova, and watched by people from around the world — thanks to all the participants and everyone who tuned in!
The 2024 winners were chosen among 10 finalists by a team of Jury Members who evaluated and voted on the projects’ pitches in real-time. The entrepreneurs took part in two tracks: Launch Track for new ideas, and Growth Track for established businesses.
Himalayan Women Trail Leaders – Marinel M. de Jesus (USA / Nepal) (Launch Track)
Himalayan Women Trail Leaders initiative aims to make female guides front and center of Nepal’s trekking tourism industry by creating a comprehensive directory of licensed female guides that can lead any of the treks along the 1700 km Himalayan Trail.
Astrostays – Sonal Asgotraa (India) (Growth Track)
Astrostays integrates community-operated homestays and communal spaces in India, led by trained local youth and women, and guided astronomy and stargazing sessions for travellers.
Nam-Lolwe Kayaking Excursions – Noel Milanya (Kenya) (Launch Track)
Nam-Lolwe Kayaking Excursions aim to harness the untapped tourism potential of Lake Victoria, the largest freshwater lake in Africa, by introducing eco-friendly kayaking tours & competition, led by local fishermen trained as kayaking guides. Nam-Lolwe means vast lake – the traditional Luo name for Lake Victoria.
Khalifast Fashion Design – Fazili Kalibanya Christine (Kenya) (Growth Track)
Khalifast Fashion Design is transforming recycled plastic waste into sustainable and innovative African cultural clothes, wedding dresses and accessories, while empowering the most vulnerable communities in Kakuma region in Kenya through hand on skills training.
The Audience Favourites were chosen by the public voting campaign where more than 1600 votes were received.
Buslunteer (Launch Track Audience Favourite) – Mateo Jackson (Belgium) (Launch Track)
Buslunteer aims to offer a transformative journey on a fully equipped, eco-friendly bus, where travellers engage in local volunteer projects related to environmental conservation, social upliftment, and cultural preservation.
Appennini for All (Growth Track Audience Favourite) – Mirko Cipollone (Italy) (Growth Track)
Appennini For All is providing accessible environmental tourism experiences in Italy for people with physical, visual, cognitive or sensory disabilities, while creating accessibility training and opportunities for local stakeholders.
— Thanks to everyone for being a part of this year’s competition, and we wish all participants success with their tourism projects and initiatives!
This year’s competition is made possible by the support of partners including Travel Massive, Booking.com Amadeus, Lufthansa City Center, Neusta Destination.one, WIIF, SINA (Social Innovation Academy), ITB Berlin, Teejit, and Eberswalde University.
Keep up to date with the latest news from the Competition on LinkedIn or at socialtourismcompetition.com.
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Comments
Thanks to everyone who participated in this year's competition – the finalists and their pitches were outstanding!
You can catch the replay of the pitches and awards on YouTube, below:
Congratulations to all winners and finalists! Truly inspiring!
I love the language from the AstroStays pitch: "Astro-preneur" definitely made me smile! Well done to all teams and looking forward to hearing more about the successes down the road.