RIYADH: Middle East UN Tourism has called on Saudi women entrepreneurs to get involved with this year’s Women in Tech Startup competition to help scale up their businesses.
The event proved a success last time around and UN Tourism Executive Director Natalia Bayona told Arab News that this year’s competition will focus on three categories: people and skills, green tourism and travel solutions, and market innovators.
She said: “In the people and skills category we are looking for innovative startups that develop and nurture human capital capacities and needs through education tech, social and messaging platforms, or wellness and health solutions.
“In the green tourism and travel solutions section we are looking for startups with eco-friendly and sustainable approaches in green tech, green infrastructure, sustainable travel and logistics, urban development, or rural development.”
Bayona added that with rapid digitalization and significant changes occurring in the Middle East, the region was advancing toward smart destination approaches in tourism, leveraging various emerging technologies.
She said: “The market innovators category calls for startups working with new technologies such as artificial intelligence, augmented reality/virtual reality, cryptocurrency, the internet of things, blockchain and Web3 technology, digital twinning, and the metaverse.”
Finalists in the competition will pitch their startups at the UN Tourism Tech Adventure in AlUla later in the year.
Bayona said: “This event will allow those finalist entrepreneurs to present their creative ideas, in one of the most ideal backdrops, to potential investors and industry experts.”
Startups will receive industry insights and strategic counsel from UN Tourism and industry leaders and participate in a variety of tourism, sustainability, and business-related activities, including attending the annual Gala WITH Female Leaders taking place at the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao.
Winning startups will also have the opportunity to obtain scholarships for the UN Tourism Online Academy, which has over 20,000 alumni and offers massive open online courses.
Bayona said: “Startups will gain media, public relations, and communications support, which will increase their visibility and help them establish their brand on a global platform.
“Finally, speaking opportunities: The winning startups will speak on panels and as keynote speakers at UN Tourism events.”
Bayona added that with women constituting around 54 percent of the tourism workforce, the competition had a mission to empower females, aligning with the multiple Sustainable Development Goals focusing on gender equality and women’s empowerment.
She said the Middle East would see increased job opportunities in the tourism sector with Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 and Oman’s 2040.
She added: “The competition encourages and helps women to develop and run tourism enterprises to close the gender gap of entrepreneurship in the sector.
“In addition, the goal of Decent Work and Economic Growth (Sustainable Development Goal 8) is fundamentally linked to the success of female entrepreneurs. The tourist sector is a significant worldwide employer, and women-led firms can produce diverse and inclusive jobs.”
The competition forms part of the UN Tourism Investment Framework: Investing in People, Planet, and Prosperity.
Bayona said the first competition identified four women-led startup winners across various categories, each focusing on distinct aspects of tourism and technology.
She added: “The winners exemplified the potential to drive social impact, enhance travel experiences, advance future technologies, and foster community engagement.
“The second competition offers a platform to showcase solutions on an international level, empowering them to assume leadership roles within the region. This initiative also serves as inspiration for future generations of Middle Eastern women, encouraging them to pursue their aspirations, share innovative ideas, and embrace the entrepreneurial journey.”
UN Tourism, with its global partners, has since 2018 conducted over 100 mentorship and personalized consultancy sessions for the finalist startups and micro, small and medium-sized enterprises that have participated in more than 26 competitions globally.
Bayona said that 23.8 percent of these firms were run by women, and added: “This competition not only assists women-led firms in scaling and succeeding, but also adds to the overall goal of creating a more inclusive and dynamic entrepreneurial ecosystem in the region.”
