Deadline: 08-Jan-21
The Technology Innovation Agency (TIA) and the Department of Tourism have jointly launched The Tourism Technology Grassroots Innovation and Incubation Programme (TTGIIP) to support a pipeline of young tourism-tech entrepreneurs who can develop disruptive/progressive technologies for the industry, as well as to facilitate the introduction of new concepts that will help boost, sustain and create more jobs in the tourism industry.
The TTGIIP is aimed at ensuring meaningful involvement of youth and women in the travel and hospitality industry operations by capitalising on their intellectual technology edge to change the traditional business systems and practices in a manner that empowers youth & women and facilitates their participation in business.
The programme will involve the development of an industry problem statement that seeks to challenge participants to develop innovative solutions. This is a competitive process which will require the participants to identify problems, develop a tech solution which they will pitch to a panel of judges.
The Ideas/solutions must be practical, realistic and show potential for commercial success, upscaling, job creation and attracted funding will be given priority. Chosen ideas will be put on a 2-year development programme which includes, idea finalisation, prototype development, commercialisation plan, venture capital and other investment financing attraction, market testing and eventual graduation into the market.
Objectives
The TTGIIP programme aims to achieve these specific objectives by helping participants:
- To inspire innovation amongst enterprises in the travel and hospitality sector;
- To involve youth & women in tourism business operations;
- To facilitate commercialisation and market access funding in the travel and hospitality businesses; and
- Create new jobs and skills development.
Key Elements
The programme will focus on four key elements of business development:
- The business management skills of the entrepreneur through skills development and training;
- The enterprise idea and prototype design and development, business viability and market testing, regulatory compliance, business financial/ risk structure and quality standards;
- Facilitate start-up funding and venture capital for business expansion; and
- Facilitation of market and trade linkages for commercialisation of enterprises.
Programme Beneficiaries: Targeted beneficiaries of the programme are youth and women with innovative ideas to potentially disrupt the tourism industry.
Eligibility Criteria
- South African citizens of ages 18 – 35;
- Have full ownership of the Intellectual Property and rights to the proposed solution;
- Applicants who do not have ready access to innovation development support, infrastructure, funding or training;
- Idea should impact operations in tourism, travel, hospitality and related industries – make trade more efficient, competitive, cost effective;
- Adhere to responsible tourism principles – ideas that create economic opportunities that benefit local communities whilst promoting the preservation of the environment and heritage resources;
- Climate Change responsive ideas – clean tech, energy efficient;
- Improve existing similar technologies – and are scalable for commerce;
- Ideas that protect tourism clients and enterprises against natural disasters by entrenching preventative business and health methods and practices;
- Tech innovations that promote the embrace of new tech methods in business practices without compromising efficiency;
- Ideas that can enhance the enjoyment travel experience for all tourists regardless of disability, age and gender;
- Tech ideas that can encourage travel safety;
- Rural tourism spread- ideas that can help unearth tourism gems to relevant markets and increase accessibility;
- Increase tourism spend and stay – ideas that can increase the stay and spend of tourist at destinations through various means i.e. enhancing information access, exposing local arts and crafts or other markets, promoting local self-drive tourist routes etc.;
- Is willing to commit time to the programme activities for a maximum period of 24 months.
For more information, visit https://www.tia.org.za/blog/2020/11/17/9109/