Dubai Tourism launches major international start-up competition

Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (Dubai Tourism) has announced a strategic collaboration with GITEX Future Stars to launch the first-ever Dubai Tourism Start-Up Competition - Futurism, inviting bright minds and innovators from around the world to submit ideas and business plans that will further revolutionise the city’s travel and tourism sectors.

The competition is in line with the Dubai 10X initiative launched under the leadership of Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, which is guiding the emirate’s journey towards becoming a global hub for innovation in the next ten years. It is also an effort towards discovering innovative solutions and facilitating further growth of the start-up ecosystem, in alignment with Dubai’s Tourism Vision 2020, to attract 20 million visitors per year by 2020.

Speaking about the competition, Yousuf Lootah, Executive Director of Tourism Development and Investments at Dubai Tourism said, "Dubai has grown to become the business capital of the region and, through the launch of the first-ever Dubai Tourism Futurism Competition, we aim to continue to encourage pioneering thinking, and offer a platform for start-ups to succeed. As we progress towards the future, start-ups play a crucial role not only in the growth of the economy but also in discovering solutions to meet evolving needs and tackle industry gaps. We are proud to collaborate with GITEX Future Stars to drive entrepreneurship forward, and are committed to building an environment that will help nurture innovative ideas and facilitate success."

The Futurism competition features two key categories – hospitality and visitor experience – for which individuals and start-ups can submit innovative ideas and business plans. Each submission will be judged by a panel of experts, and the top 30 shortlisted submissions will be awarded exhibition space at this year’s edition of GITEX Technology Week, scheduled to take place in Dubai from 8th to 12th October, 2017. A total cash prize of US$100,000 has also been allocated as initial start-up capital for the six winners.

"GITEX Future Stars is designed to bring creative technologies and innovation to the forefront of the industry. The Dubai Tourism Futurism Competition will provide a stage for the world’s best travel technology start-ups to come together to enhance and disrupt technology solutions for travellers across the world. Dubai has long been a world leader in both technology and tourism, making it the ideal location to launch a global travel technology competition that is sure to enhance the way the world travels and support tourism in Dubai and beyond," said Trixie LohMirmand, Senior Vice President, Events Management, Dubai World Trade Centre.