In a move to bolster female entrepreneurship within the Middle East, the UN Tourism body has beckoned Saudi women entrepreneurs to participate in the latest iteration of the Women in Tech Startup competition. This platform is designed to escalate their ventures to new heights.
The preceding event garnered positive reactions, and according to UN Tourism’s Executive Director, Natalia Bayona, the current competition will home in on three pivotal sectors: personnel and expertise development, eco-conscious tourism and travel solutions, and marketplace innovation.
In the personnel and expertise domain, we’re scouting for innovative startups that can amplify human capital through educational technology, social platforms, or health and wellness solutions
, elucidated Bayona.
She further emphasized the hunt for startups committed to sustainability, including those focused on green technology, environmentally friendly infrastructure, and sustainable travel, which are imperative in the travel solutions category.
Bayona highlighted the region’s swift digital transformation, notably in smart tourism, which is becoming increasingly reliant on cutting-edge technologies.
She added, The marketplace innovators will be startups that are adept with cutting-edge tech like AI, AR/VR, cryptocurrencies, IoT, blockchain, and Web3 technologies, including digital twinning and the metaverse.
The finalists will have the chance to pitch their ideas at the UN Tourism Tech Adventure in AlUla later this year, presenting their innovative concepts against a magnificent backdrop to potential investors and industry connoisseurs.
Participating startups will gain invaluable insights from UN Tourism and industry magnates, engage in a suite of tourism, sustainability, and business activities, and attend the Gala WITH Female Leaders at the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao. Winners will also be awarded scholarships to the UN Tourism Online Academy, which boasts over 20,000 alumni and provides extensive open online courses.
Beyond educational benefits, Bayona asserted that successful startups will receive media and communications support to enhance their brand visibility on a global scale and will be given opportunities to speak at UN Tourism events.
With women making up approximately 54 percent of the tourism workforce, the competition is steadfast in its mission to empower women, in line with Sustainable Development Goals on gender equality and female empowerment.
The competition also dovetails with increased employment prospects within the tourism sector, anticipated by Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 and Oman’s 2040 vision, encouraging women to establish and manage tourism enterprises to bridge the entrepreneurial gender divide.
According to Bayona, the inaugural competition spotlighted four women-led startup victors, each bringing a unique angle to tourism and technology. The upcoming competition promises to be a global showcase for these solutions, empowering regional female leaders and inspiring the next generation of Middle Eastern women to chase their dreams.
Since 2018, UN Tourism and its partners have facilitated over 100 mentorship sessions and personalized consultancy for finalist startups and small and medium-sized enterprises across more than 26 global competitions.
Bearing in mind that 23.8 percent of these enterprises were female-led, Bayona remarked, This competition not only helps women-led firms elevate and succeed but also contributes to a more inclusive and dynamic entrepreneurial ecosystem in the region.