Centara backs startup competition

Centara Hotels & Resorts and True Digital Park, Southeast Asia’s largest startup and tech entrepreneur campus, join hands to deliver a competition and incubator programme. 

The ‘Centrara Startup Sandbox’ competition and a three-month incubator programme support startups and entrepreneurs with co-working space, facilities, mentorship and funding.

The Startup Sandbox project, held in collaboration with True Digital Park, will see teams compete for a chance to join the three-month programme, during which executives from Centara will provide regular consultation sessions and be the judge for the teams’ final pitch.

“The world of hospitality is always evolving, and we are proud to be a part of this competition to encourage fresh ideas which will drive innovation in our industry. We are delighted to partner with True Digital Park to support promising startup businesses in Thailand and to mentor the next generation of innovative thinkers,” said Centara Hotels & Resorts chief executive officer Thirayuth Chirathivat.

“True Digital Park continue to build a complete ecosystem for startup and tech entrepreneurs to support the digital transformation and is proud to partner with Centara Hotels and Resorts. This startup sandbox program will strengthen our commitment to nurture tech talents and further accelerate innovative solutions,”  commented True Digital Park general manager Dr Tarit Nimmanwudipong.

Competing teams for the ‘Centara Startup Sandbox’ have to deal with a challenge: “How might we help clients experience their preferred destination or any hospitality offering while still providing them with more exclusive and memorable services”.

The winning team will receive THB100,000 and free use of co-working space at True Digital Park for six months. The first and second runners-up will each receive free use of co-working space at True Digital Park for three months.

Winning teams will also receive hotel vouchers from Centara.

1st Prize: Centara Reserve Samui, two nights in Deluxe Ocean room with breakfast for two persons, value THB23,775 per prize times three prizes per team

2nd Prize: Centara Grand Beach Resort Phuket, two nights in Deluxe room with breakfast for two persons, value  THB12,947 per prize times three prizes per team

3rd Prize: COSI Pattaya Wong Amat Beach, two nights in COSI Plus room with daily credit for two persons value THB3,295 per prize times three prizes per team

Teams with at least three members of any nationality 18 years old and above who have a business idea for the hotel and hospitality industry can apply now until 6 September 2021 at truedigitalpark.typeform.com.

For more information, visit https://www.truedigitalpark.com/en/startup-support/centara-startup-sandbox

Source: TTR Weekly

Yindii introduces eco-friendly food app

Yindii, a Thai anti-food waste startup, has launched a mobile application designed to match Bangkok residents with environmentally conscious restaurants, grocery stores and cafes to combat food waste.

The app is designed to be a direct-to-consumer platform for restaurants and cafes that can create exclusive and immediate “Happy Hour Deals” offers regularly, with discounts of up to 50-70% on food that would otherwise go to waste.

Once a Yindii box offer is published, users can purchase it before heading to the restaurant to collect, or get the box delivered. They will not know the contents of the box until after the purchase.

“A full 33% of all food produced globally is wasted or lost every year. That is close to a billion-and-a-half tonnes that is never consumed, accounting for 8% of the greenhouse gas emissions around the globe, four times more pollution than the airline industry. All this is an ecological disaster,” said Yindii founder Louis-Alban Batard-Dupre. “The growing problem of food waste is challenging to solve for endless reasons including logistics, the complexities of short-lived items and the lack of a set market, which is what we are working to help solve. We hope our simple system connects users and restaurants.”

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The MIST program evolves from “Mekong Innovative Startups in Tourism” to “Mekong Innovations in Sustainable Tourism”.

MIST program aims to expedite tourism industry growth, create an ecosystem that inspires innovation, and promote sustainability in tourism

Bangkok December 20, 2020:  The Mekong Tourism Coordinating Office (MTCO) (www.MekongTourism.org) as the secretariat of the Tourism Working Group of the six national tourism organizations of the Greater Mekong Subregion, and Destination Mekong (www.DestinationMekong.com), the public-private collaboration framework of the Lancang-Mekong Region, in consultation with the six member governments of the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) and its partner the Asian Development Bank (ADB) has decided to evolve the 4-year old trail-blazing initiative. Originally limited to only startups in the two categories of travel tech and travel social enterprises, the evolved MIST program will focus on innovations in sustainable tourism, resilience, and climate change in the Greater Mekong Subregion, aligned to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Nominations are open to any business entity, from startups to established corporates, from NGOs to governments, and from individuals to partnerships, coming from the six member countries of the Greater Mekong Subregion, as well as from all over the world if the initiative can be applied to driving sustainability and resilience in the Mekong Region.

For this new chapter of MIST, the Mekong Tourism Coordinating Office has decided to bring onboard the Swiss-based Ecosystem builder Seedstars. According to Jens Thraenhart, Executive Director of the Mekong Tourism Coordinating Office, and Chair of Destination Mekong: “This is an important and significant step forward to continue to innovate our initiatives to stay relevant to the changing needs of the tourism industry, during and post the current COVID-19 pandemic. Keeping our powerful MIST brand, the focus will be on innovative and creative projects and concepts driving sustainability and resilience to recover travel and tourism in the Greater Mekong Subregion.”

In the first quarter of 2021, MIST will invite nominations from startups, established companies, government organizations, NGOs, academia, media, as well as individuals, students, and partnerships. For an entry to be accepted it needs to be an operating initiative or project that drives sustainable tourism and resilience. The MIST jury, made up of members of the Mekong Tourism Advisory Group (MeTAG – https://www.destinationmekong.com/mekong-tourism-advisory-group/) and Seedstars, will judge the final pitches during a hybrid MIST Forum planned for the second half of 2021 in Bangkok.  Nominations are being accepted starting February 1, 202 until April 31, 2021 at www.MIST.asia (https://mist.asia/nomination-2/), and existing MIST nominations are being considered based on the new criteria.  The MIST program celebrates creative ideas and innovation, featuring qualified initiatives on the Mekong Innovations Showcase (https://www.destinationmekong.com/projects/mekong-coronavirus-innovations/), encouraging partnerships and investments.  

Now in its 4th year, the MIST program has been one of the first tourism board globally pioneering its own travel startup program, integrating innovation and entrepreneurship with the travel and tourism ecosystem. Destination Mekong and the Mekong Business Initiative – with the backing of the Government of Australia, the Asian Development Bank, and the Mekong Tourism Coordinating Office – launched MIST in 2016 to propel innovation in the rapidly growing tourism markets of the Greater Mekong Subregion. MIST aims to expedite tourism industry growth, create an ecosystem that inspires innovation, and promote sustainability in tourism.  The MIST program is guided by an international advisory board made up of travel executives and investors in the travel and tourism industry.

In 2017 and 2018, the final pitching competitions were integrated into the Mekong Tourism Forums in Luang Prabang, Lao PDR and Nakhon Phanom, Thailand, respectively.  In 2019, Destination Mekong partnered with the Travel Startups Asia Forum in Bangkok, to host the final MIST pitching competition, and inspired delegates with panels and keynotes including from former Minister of Sports and Tourism if Thailand, HE Mr Weerasak Kowsurat and Nok Air Founder Mr. Patee Sarasin. The successful MIST Mentorships Bootcamp was hosted at the offices of the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) in Bangkok, conducting workshops by investors, travel executives, and MIST alumni for MIST 2019 finalists. Winners of the travel technology category were invited to present at the MIST Forum at ITB Asia in Singapore.

MIST 2019 Group Photo at Travel Startup Asia Forum in Bangkok, October 9th, 201

ADB Hackathon Seeks Pitches for Digital Solutions to Spur Travel

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is seeking pitches for a hackathon on the best digital solutions that can kick-start travel in Southeast Asia in the wake of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.

Southeast Asia’s tourism sector was hit hard by the pandemic, along with the small and medium-sized enterprises that depend on tourists for their income. The World Travel and Tourism Council estimates Asia and the Pacific’s tourism sector can lose up to $1.1 trillion in income and 69.3 million jobs in 2020 due to the pandemic. 

The hackathon, Re-establishing Tourism Confidence through Innovative Digital Solutions: Fast-tracking Tourism Recovery in Southeast Asia, promises a $10,000 prize for the winner who can come up with a digital solution that can entice people to travel again.

“Digital solutions allow for seamless integration of information flow,” said Marc Lepage, Principal IT Specialist at ADB, on the potential of technology to help revive travel in the region.

As a member of the ADB digital innovation team that set up the online challenge, Lepage says an app can be a useful tool for a traveler, who wants information at the palm of his hand. “I can look up what specific tourism operators are doing about COVID-19 that would make me feel safe to use their service, while looking, in the same app, at the process I need to go through—from immigration, airport, and official instructions. These all vary depending of where I’m coming from and where I’m going and the passport I’m holding—a digital solution that brings it all together and provides specific advice given my context would make travel easier in the COVID-19 context.”

As a traveler himself, he would also want information on the safety measures hotels offer to make him feel safer about traveling.

The hackathon named the following areas of interests for the challenge: 

  • Real-time updates on COVID-19 health and safety protocols implemented by public and private tourism service providers and information about evolving visa, air and ground transport, accommodation, tours, food and beverage services, and other tourism business operations
     
  • Integrated end-to-end travel planning tools (air and ground transport, accommodations, food and beverages, health, and wellness, etc.) that integrate COVID-19 safety and prevention measures
    ​​​​​​​
  • Creative digital marketing campaigns that maintain destination visibility and engender consumer confidence to travel again.

The deadline for application is on 17 January 2021.

More information: https://challenges.adb.org/en/challenges/new-normal-tourism-confidence-through-innovative-digital-solutions?lang=en&fbclid=IwAR1qfWLXCGel0yuSciABVAe3cnQiYC0YHad9VzBs6bntMGz4J4IVam2gp9E

Travel startup Triip rewards homebound travellers

Vietnamese sustainable travel company Triip has launched a new global Stay Home Heroes initiative that allows homebound travellers to earn points by staying at home which can then be used for future travels.

With a third of the global population on lockdown, the rewards programme supports broader government-led initiatives calling on citizens to stay at home and practise social distancing to protect public health.

From April 1, Triiip will reward users who use the startup’s Stay Home Heroes app feature to check in at their homes with a photo uploaded.

Payment will be made daily to homebound users with unique travel points, called TIIM. Users who check in at home will be offered 1 TIIM per day, which can then be used to redeem for later travels.

While sheltered, users can also earn TIIM by sharing Triip with their friends via a unique, personalised link; submitting photos of their past travels to the platform; and sharing their future travel plans within the app.

Triip said that it is making available 15 million points through the end of the lockdown orders to each of its users to incentivise them to stay home.

Source

2019 MIST Winners Announced

This year, MIST was held in Bangkok together with the new Travel Startups Asia Forum, featuring startup stories from successful travel ventures and MIST Alumni. The opening keynote was given by Senator and former Minister of Tourism and Sports of Thailand HE Mr Weerasak Kowsurat who linked the importance of innovation and entrepreneurship to tourism development in Thailand and the Mekong Region. The closing keynote was given by founder of Nok Airways Mr Patee Sarasin, who gave valuable insights from his experiences in starting an airline in Southeast Asia.

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