São Paulo – A Qatar-based startup focused on tourism accessibility was a winner of the Awake Tourism Challenge. Held by the UN World Tourism Organization (WTO), the challenge was the second edition of the competition focusing on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and how to contribute to the development of a more inclusive and resilient tourism sector.
The competition focused on six core themes: local community involvement, green and blue economies, ecological and sustainable capital creation, tech for good, tourism education, and women empowerment,
Qatar-based startup Accessible Qatar won in the tech for good theme. The company focuses on making spaces and experiences in the Gulf state more accessible.
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The competition attracted more than 2,000 entrants from 120 countries worldwide. The winning start-ups will be offered an incubation period of three months at SPARK Crans-Montana, the Innovation Hub of Les Roches from the Sommet Education group.
According to a statement published by the UN, the entrepreneurs will be participating in mentorships, networking activities and have access to a dedicated co-working space. In addition, they will also receive scholarships for the WTO, be featured in a global communications campaign to showcase their activities.
Accessibility in Qatar
Accessible Qatar involves a smartphone application and website, where the disabled community can view the public and touristic locations and outlets in Qatar and see whether they are accessible and in what way. The information combines expertly audited accessibility data with user-submitted reviews and ratings to simplify the experience of the disabled community and tourists.
According to app’s website, having accessibility information publicly available on Accessible Qatar will encourage venues to make necessary modifications in support of accessibility for all patrons.
Opening photo for illustrative purposes only.
Translated by Guilherme Miranda
