Luis Nicolás Barrios, Regional Manager of Innovation, Education and Investments at UNWTO
Doha: The United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) has launched an entrepreneurial competition to promote and bring awareness to the vitality of innovation as a relevant factor for tourism development among women in Qatar and the Middle East region.
In an exclusive interview with The Peninsula, Luis Nicolás Barrios, Regional Manager of Innovation, Education and Investments at UNWTO, said that the “Middle East is our latest initiative in this format, and first with regional scope, with the goal to map and support new and relevant entrepreneurial efforts led by women in a range of economic sectors directly connected with tourism.”
UNWTO’s initiative, which is part of the innovation and digital transformation agenda, has hosted nearly 23 startup competitions since its launch in 2018 in more than 150 nations.
Barrios said: “We know that women entrepreneurs have a greater focus on social impact when it comes to the mission and vision of the companies they create.”
The official highlighted that women entrepreneurs in Qatar as witnessed for years have a core determination in excelling in various industries and this platform would provide them with a great innovation solutions opportunity at a regional and global scale.
“The application is open for startups based in the Middle East and led, owned, or managed by women. They need to be in the idea stage, early stage, or series A and must have a dedicated full-time team and a scalable business model with the potential for international expansion,” Barrios added.
The entrepreneurs who make it to the final list will also have the opportunity to join UNWTO Innovation Network and will get a chance to be featured on the organisation’s global and social media platforms. Additionally, they will be eligible to obtain personalised mentorship and consultancy sessions.
The official outlined that the finalists will be receiving capacity-building courses provided by international and regional institutions in the areas of innovation, entrepreneurship, and communication. The finalists will also be given potential seed funding and investments in addition to accelerators and incubators with the UNWTO network.
The startups wishing to apply for the competition should fall in one of the four following categories: social impact, tourism and travel experience, future tech, and events and community.
The application is available until the end of June for registration.
