UN Tourism Social Innovation Challenge 2025: Open Call for Sustainable Tourism Startups (Deadline: Vary)

The UN Tourism Social Innovation Challenge is now accepting applications for its 2025 competition, seeking groundbreaking startups, scaleups, and tourism companies to drive transformative change in sustainable, inclusive, and community-centered tourism.

Challenge Objectives

The initiative focuses on five core objectives to transform the global tourism landscape:

Innovate: Support solutions that empower communities, enhance accessibility, and promote green tourism practices while leveraging cutting-edge technologies and innovative approaches.

Adopt: Encourage widespread adoption of inclusive, accessible, and sustainable tourism practices across the industry.

Collaborate: Foster partnerships between governments, industries, entrepreneurs, and civil society organizations to drive social innovation through global tourism transformation.

Sustain: Promote long-term solutions that balance economic growth, environmental preservation, and social equity within the tourism sector.

Scale: Identify and accelerate innovations with the potential for global impact in building a more inclusive, sustainable, and resilient tourism industry.

Who Can Apply

The challenge welcomes entrepreneurs, startups, scaleups, tourism companies, and organizations that meet specific criteria:

• Demonstrate innovative and disruptive approaches to tourism challenges
• Offer sustainable and value-added solutions for the tourism sector
• Leverage new technologies in community-based tourism, accessibility, or green projects
• Show potential for growth, scalability, and broader application
• Have a minimum viable product (MVP) or project ready for development and funding (ideas in later development phases also considered)
• Present a structured business plan
• Contribute to achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Three Challenge Categories

Community-based Tourism

This category seeks solutions that empower local communities globally through cultural and tourism initiatives. Priority areas include:

• • Women’s participation in tourism and gender equality promotion
  • Youth engagement and rural development initiatives
  • Agrotourism and ecotourism projects
  • Cultural heritage preservation
  • Creative industries and gastronomy promotion
  • Job creation in local communities
  • Support for creative entrepreneurs
  • Natural ecosystem preservation and carbon emission reduction
  • Sustainable resource management

Inclusivity & Accessibility

This category focuses on innovations that enhance tourism accessibility for diverse travelers, including:

• Solutions for people with and without disabilities
• Accessible experiences for seniors and travelers with specific access requirements
• Assistive technology development
• Inclusive service provision
• Universal access to tourism facilities and products
• Revenue generation for destinations through inclusive tourism

Green Projects

This category invites startups and tourism companies leading sustainability and regeneration initiatives:

• Environmentally responsible tourism solutions
• Carbon emission reduction technologies
• Energy efficiency enhancements
• Waste management and circular economy solutions
• Sustainable and smart infrastructure development
• Conservation efforts for protected areas, national parks, and biosphere reserves
• Ecosystem, biodiversity, and community regeneration through tourism

Comprehensive Benefits Package

Selected participants will receive substantial support and opportunities:

Education & Training:

• 6 scholarships for Les Roches Diploma of Advanced Studies in International Hospitality Management at the Marbella Campus, Spain
• Scholarships from the UN Tourism Online Academy

Business Development:

• Opportunity to pitch at UN Tourism Demo Day
• Access to over 90 investors
• Access to top corporations in 160+ countries
• Curated mentorship programs
• Potential pilot projects with private sector collaborators and institutions

Plug and Play Benefits:

• Registered profile on Playbook platform
• Invitation to participate in the Silicon Valley Summit
• Access to talent and synergies with Plug and Play’s extensive portfolio

Challenge Timeline

October 2025: Submission Period Opens
End of October 2025: Submissions Close
October – November 2025: Evaluation Period
Q4 2025: Final Pitch Event

Please click here to apply.

Global Impact Opportunity

The UN Tourism Social Innovation Challenge represents a unique opportunity to shape the future of sustainable tourism while building a scalable business. With tourism generating over $9 trillion in economic output annually and employing 319 million people worldwide, innovations in this space have the potential for massive global impact.

The challenge recognizes that the future of tourism must balance economic prosperity with environmental stewardship and social responsibility. Selected participants will join a global network committed to creating a tourism ecosystem that benefits communities, protects natural resources, and ensures inclusive growth for all stakeholders.

This initiative calls upon innovators worldwide to develop solutions that will transform tourism into a force for positive social and environmental change, creating sustainable travel experiences that enrich both visitors and host communities while preserving cultural and natural heritage for future generations.

For more information please contact the PlugandPlay tech center Here