Deadline: March 25, 2025
Applications are open for the UN Tourism Global Artificial Intelligence Challenge 2025. The UN Tourism’s Global Artificial Intelligence and Deep Tech Challenge for Start-ups and Scale-ups is strategically oriented towards start-ups and scale-ups that have already demonstrated significant potential in the tourism or technology sectors and are ready for their next phase of growth.
The objectives of the challenge include:
- Innovate: Support AI-driven solutions that improve efficiency and transform traveler experiences across the tourism ecosystem.
- Adopt: Ensure equitable adoption of AI, providing access to all communities and promoting broad participation and benefits from these technologies.
- Driving Growth: Promoting AI solutions that optimize operations and improve the quality of services, benefiting all industry players.
- Collaborate: Unify governments, industries, and experts to advance the role of AI in addressing key tourism challenges.
- Shaping the Future: Using AI to meet user expectations, from optimizing logistics to improving the visitor experience, strengthening tourism as an engine of economic growth.
Categories
- Branding, Promotion and Marketing
- Smart destinations and deep technologies
- Education and Technology
- Efficiency and Operations
Benefits
- Pitch at the UN TOURISM Demo Day
- Acceleration Programme of 2 months at SPARK, the Innovation Sphere of Les Roches in Crans-Montana and Marbella
- Access to 90+ Venture Capitalists
- Access to Top Corporations and 150+ Countries
- Curated mentorship programmes
- Scholarships from the UN Tourism Online Academy;
- Potential pilot project with private sector collaborators and institutions
- Plug and Play will offer a registered profile on Playbook, an invitation to participate in our Silicon Valley Summit, and access to talent and synergies with their Portfolio
Eligibility
They welcome innovations that are revolutionizing every aspect of the traveler’s journey and reshaping the sector:
- Immersive Experiences: AI facilitates immersive experiences enhancing the travel experience through Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR).
- Streamlined Processes: AI-powered chatbots and virtual assistants streamline the booking process, provide real-time assistance, and address customer inquiries promptly and efficiently.
- Operational Efficiency: AI optimizes operations, enhances marketing strategies, and provides insights into consumer behavior and trends. Data analytics and predictive modeling enable businesses to make informed decisions, anticipate market demands, and innovate to stay competitive.
- Sustainability: AI promotes sustainability within the tourism sector by analyzing environmental data and monitoring tourist activities, helping mitigate the negative impacts on fragile ecosystems and natural resources.
Evaluation Criteria
Participating start-ups will be evaluated according to the following criteria:
- Ease of value capture
- Scalability
- Potential impact on business
- Product/Technology Maturity
- Maturity of the team and the organization
- Preparing for partnerships
- Contribution to the selected Sustainable Development Goals
Application
For more information, visit UN Tourism Artificial Intelligence Global Startup Challenge.
