Following the agreement between Content Lab and the UN, the opening of registrations for the 4th Global Gastronomic Tourism Startup Competition is confirmed in Costa Rica. This announcement enables every Costa Rican who wishes to present their talent, SME, gastronomic or related project, in this international project that has been gaining strength year after year.
Under the motto “Transforming Gastronomic Tourism through Innovation” and after the success of previous editions, UN Tourism in collaboration with the Basque Culinary Center confirmed the fourth edition of the Global Gastronomic Tourism Startup Competition.
Tourism is an engine of inclusive and sustainable economic growth, a transversal sector with a high impact in promoting social well-being to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals. “Our mission is to identify challenges and projects, and catalyze innovations that can transform the Gastronomic Tourism sector in the near future,” said Antonio López de Ávila Muñoz, Director of Innovation, Education and Investments at UN Tourism. With global growth of 3.3% in the last decade, tourism generates approximately one in 10 jobs and represents 10% of global GDP, according to the UN.
Ethical and sustainable values
At its intersection with the gastronomic sector, gastronomic or culinary tourism is organized around experiential trips and assumes ethical and sustainable values related to the territory, heritage, local culture, local products, authenticity, tradition or traditions. local, regional or national culinary techniques.
The influence of gastronomy on travel and the growing demand for gastronomic tourism have made this area one of the segments with the greatest development opportunities that arouse the interest of governments. For this reason, this entity urges those interested to participate, in favor of gastronomy and gastronomic tourism in Costa Rica.
UN Tourism ensures that gastronomic tourism has become one of the most dynamic and creative segments of tourism and, at the same time, it has naturally positioned itself as an element of diversification of tourism with a high impact on the promotion of sustainable development. at the regional and local level.
Entrepreneurs and those interested in participating in the gastronomic tourism sector should take the following into account:
• Propose a disruptive and innovative model in the sector (at a global level); However, it doesn’t have to have a technological component.
• Social Impact: Focus on covering unmet social needs in different areas, such as promoting the employability of young people and/or vulnerable people, the depopulation of the territory, the aging of the population and/or gender equality; and have tangible indicators for this purpose.
• Traction: Ability to transform the environment; ability to generate change in society, improving the social conditions of the beneficiary groups.
• A proven MVP: product or service prototype, tried and tested, with already measured or measurable results.
• Potential business impact: potential scalability/financial return and/or development of competitive advantages for the business in the short-medium term.
• Agile implementation in the short-medium term for the co-development of products/services, optimization of the use of existing resources/infrastructures and the ability to scale the product.
• Compromised team. Team with explicit knowledge about the area of action; have at least a positive evaluation from a public or private organization on the execution of said project.
• Adherence to the Sustainable Development Goals: Linked and tangible social impact metrics in relation to the SDGs.
Those chosen will have the following benefits:
• Mentoring by UN Tourism and key partners
• Support tailored to your startup
• Investment opportunities
• Be part of the UN Tourism Innovation Network
• Scholarship opportunities at the UN Tourism Academy
• Work space in the LABe- Digital Gastronomy Laboratory facilities for 6 months.
• Opportunity to participate as a finalist startup in the corresponding edition of Culinary Action! – On the road, the first competition for foodtech startups in a roadshow format.
• GOe Digital Community Advanced Plan for 6 months, which is the first 360° digital community within the gastronomic sector.
Those interested must register through the following link:
https://www.unwto.org/es/startup-competition/4ta-competicion-global-startups-de-turismo-gastronomico
