Tourism Empowers Women
According to the UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), women make up most of the tourist workforce in major parts of the world. UNWTO is always committed to gender equality, as mandated in Sustainable Development Goal 5, referring to women empowerment by supporting women’s rights and improving their participation in the business realm. UNWTO’s global report on tourism found that more than 54% of people employed in the tourism are women, while in the Arab world, women represent 8% of the regional tourist workforce. UNWTO is continuously seizing opportunities to highlight the role of women in the tourism sector, and particularly Arab women.
Women and Technology
Technology has become a driven tool for all travelers and tourism businesses. In the Arab region, 34% of tech focused startups were founded by women, and 57% of science technology, engineering, and math (STEM) graduates are women. UNWTO is committed to support Arab entrepreneurs, boosting their tourism business careers. Hence, the industry is always searching for businesswomen with technological solutions and specialized skills to oversee smart digital projects. For this reason, UNWTO launched a startup competition to find the most innovative tech-driven startups in the realm of tourism, managed by women.
UNWTO and Innovation
Since 2018, the Innovation, Education and Investments Department at UNWTO has launched 23 global, regional, and specific startup competitions and challenges in more than 150 countries. In parallel, it has organized 21 Tourism Tech Adventures (Innovation Forums) in 14 countries, with an additional 8 online editions. A total funding of +214 USD million has been raised for Top Startups.
Awards:-
The winners of Women in Tech Startup Competition Middle East will gain from the following benefits:
- Invitation to join UNWTO Innovation Network, with access to more than 447 investors, 47 incubators, 1274 corporations and representatives from governments, academia and media from all over the world.
- Opportunity to participate and pitch in the UNWTO Tourism Tech Adventure high-level event, that will take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on 27 September for the celebration of International Tourism Day.
- Visibility on all UNWTO platforms and social media networks, with a global reach.
- Mentorship programs with international leaders in the field of innovation.
- Access to potential seed funding, investments, and partnership opportunities with consultancies, accelerators and incubators.
- Scholarship/">Scholarships for UNWTO Tourism Online Academy, which has more than 20.000 alumni, and offers courses in different languages, including Arabic, produced in partnership with international top Universities all over the world.
- Prospective opportunities to talk as guest keynote speakers and panelists at international forums.
Deadline:- 01-07-2023
