Aimed at fuelling innovation in tourism, UN Tourism has announced the UN Tourism National Open Innovation Challenge, a collaborative effort with the French government. According to a press statement by UN Tourism, this partnership marks a milestone as it is the first time UN Tourism and France have collaborated to empower entrepreneurial innovation within the sector.

UN Tourism says that France, welcoming over 100 million international visitors in 2023, is not only a premier travel destination but also an innovation hub, home to nearly 60,000 startups and over 30 unicorn companies.

Marina Ferrari

According to Marina Ferrari, the French Minister for Tourism Economy, this initiative will support tourism tech startups in creating more responsible, sustainable travel solutions.

“As the world’s leading tourist destination and a land of innovation with a dynamic ecosystem of start-ups, France is now giving itself the resources it needs to nurture the future champions of travel tech. This is good news for the tourism economy, but it’s also good news for the planet. It is in our start-ups that the solutions for building a more sustainable, more responsible tourism and for decarbonising the entire sector are being born,” says Ferrari.

Zurab Pololikashvili

“As the world’s top tourism destination, France is at the forefront of innovation. Our new competition will help find and recognise the next wave of tourism innovators and give them the support they need to truly transform our sector,” says Zurab Pololikashvili, Secretary-General, UN Tourism.

Natalia Bayona

“We commend the impressive ‘Welcome to France’ and ‘French Tech’ initiatives. These initiatives nurture and guide successful startups by leveraging the strengths of their communities. They set an exemplary standard for the rest of the world, encompassing almost 25,000 startups and representing over 1.1 million direct and indirect jobs,” says Natalia Bayona, Executive Director, UN Tourism.

UN Tourism says that the challenge is open to French-based tourism startups, partnered with companies that can offer resources and mentorship. Solutions must address a travel tech or tourism innovation issue and be ready for scale-up, with applications accepted until the end of March 2025.