Africa Tourism Partners has announced the launch of next year’s sixth Africa Youth in Tourism Innovation Challenge (AYTIC).
It includes a call to all the young people in Africa up to the age of 35 to enter the Challenge. The portal will be opened to receive entries from tomorrow (November 1) until March 1, 2024.
The AYTIC is an exclusive platform being provided to innovative African youth in travel and tourism looking for funding, partnership and mentorship opportunities to present their projects to the global marketplace in order to find the required support for their projects.
This year, 114 entries were received from across Africa. Gloria Kisulu from Kenya emerged as the winner of the 2023 AYTIC, followed by Cornelius Ugwunwa from Nigeria as the first runner-up and South African Ntshabo Lehong as second runner-up.
The winner receives grant seed in cash and in-kind to value of US$10 000, with US$1 000 to US$1 500 in cash to support his or her project.
The first and second runner up gets US$5 000 grant seed in cash and in-kind, with US$500 to US$1 000 in cash support their projects.
Other benefits include complimentary enrolment for short courses provided by UNWTO, mentorship, partnership, potential funding support and career opportunities as well as opportunity to be part of an established network of Africa Youth in Tourism Mentors and Innovators and enrolment into the Africa Tourism Innovation Hub.
The AYTIC is held annually along with the Africa Youth in Tourism Innovation Summit. Next year’s summit will take place in Windhoek, Namibia, from May 28-31.
This will be hosted by the Government of Namibia through the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism, which won the bid to host the Summit and the Innovation Challenge for three years from 2022, 2023 and 2024 being the final year for Namibia to host the summit.
Over 700 Pan-African and global youth in tourism, renowned travel and tourism industry thought-leaders, policymakers, investors, the media, women in tourism and key stakeholders are expected to gather in Namibia for the Summit.
The four-day programme will include entrepreneurship masterclasses, B2B sessions, an exhibition, a hosted buyer programme, presentations, the Innovation Challenge and much more.
Interested youth can click here to enter the challenge.
