UN Tourism has launched the second edition of its Women in Tech Startup Competition: Middle East, aiming to champion and empower women entrepreneurs shaping the future of sustainable tourism and technology in the region.
The competition targets startups led by women based in the Middle East operating within the tourism sector and related industries. These enterprises must offer sustainable solutions benefiting people, the planet, and prosperity, and be in the early stage, idea stage, or Series A stage of development. Applications are open across three categories:
People and Skills: Seeking startups with sustainable approaches in education tech, social connectivity, wellness, or health, with cross-cutting benefits in tourism.
Green Travel Solutions: For startups using environmentally friendly approaches in green tech, infrastructure, travel, logistics, urban, or rural development, with benefits in tourism.
Market Innovators: Open to startups leveraging emergent technologies applied to tourism.
The initiative has garnered support from global and regional partners, including Almosafer, Plug and Play, AIM, The Bench, Impulse4Women, and Bilakatu, offering visibility, mentorship, consultancy, and potential investment to winning startups. Applications will be processed through Plug and Play’s open innovation platform, and finalists will join the global UN Tourism Innovation Network.
The launch was announced at the AIM Congress in Abu Dhabi during a special UN Tourism Investment Forum session on “Investing in Innovation and Enabling Women Entrepreneurs.”
Building on the success of the inaugural edition, which saw over 140 startups and SMEs applying from 11 countries, UN Tourism remains committed to advancing the positive impact of tourism on women’s lives, contributing to Sustainable Development Goal 5 – Gender Equality.
UN Tourism Executive Director Natalia Bayona emphasizes the importance of empowering female entrepreneurs in the Middle East to support sustainable development in the tourism sector.
Since 2018, UN Tourism has launched more than 25 startup competitions and innovation challenges worldwide, with over 20,000 participants and 350 top startups mapped with USD 2+ billion in funding, supporting digitalization and innovation to advance the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
