Africa Tourism Partners has announced the launch of the 6th and 2024 Africa Youth in Tourism Innovation Challenge.
The organisers while calling on all the young people in Africa up to the age of 35 to enter the Challenge, revealed that the portal will be opened to receive entries on the 1st of November 2023 and close on the 1st of March 2024.
The Africa Youth in Tourism Innovation Challenge is an exclusive platform being provided to innovative African youth in travel and tourism looking for funding, partnership, and mentorship opportunities to present their projects to the global marketplace to find the required support for their projects.
The organisers in a release made available to REPORTERS AT LARGE reads in part: “This year, 114 entries were received from across Africa. Gloria Kisulu from Kenya emerged as the winner of the 2023 Africa Youth in Tourism Innovation Challenge, followed by Cornelius Ugwunwa from Nigeria as the first runner-up and South African Ntshabo Lehong as the second runner-up.
“The winner of the Africa Youth in Tourism Innovation Challenge receives grant seed in cash and in-kind to the value of USD 10,000, with USD 1000 to USD 1,500 in cash to support his or her project. The first and second runner gets a USD5000.00 grant seed in cash and in kind, with USD 500 to USD 1000 in Cash to support their projects. Other benefits include complimentary enrolment for short courses provided by UNWTO, mentorship, partnership, potential funding support and career opportunities, as well as the opportunity to be part of an established network of Africa Youth in Tourism Mentors and Innovators and enrolment into the Africa Tourism Innovation Hub.”
The challenge is a key component of the Africa Youth in Tourism Innovation Challenge and is held annually along with the Africa Youth in Tourism Innovation Summit.
The 2024 Summit, which will take place from 28 to 31 May, in Windhoek, Namibia, will be hosted by the government of Namibia through the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism, which won the bid to host the Summit and the Innovation Challenge for three years from 2022, 2023 and 2024.
Over 700 physical Pan-African and global youth in tourism, renowned travel and tourism industry thought-leaders, policymakers, investors, the media, women in tourism and key stakeholders are expected to gather in Namibia for the Summit. The four-day program will include entrepreneurship Masterclasses, B2B sessions, exhibitions, a hosted buyer program, presentations, the Innovation Challenge and many more.
