Booking.com Gives Sustainable Tourism A Boost
Booking.com has launched its new new accelerator program – Booking.com Booster.
The program is designed to identify, mentor, and fund enterprising start-ups from around the world that are seeking to have a positive impact on the global tourism industry, the three-week program taking place in June 2017 in Amsterdam will culminate with a chance to pitch for grants of up to $500,000 from Booking.com.
As an extension of the company’s existing Booking.com Cares program – an internal company initiative where employees partner with local NGOs on projects that help improve destinations worldwide – the goal of the new booster program is to support start-ups dedicated to sustainable tourism in the following areas: protecting the environment, preserving cultural heritage, and/or promoting inclusive growth in tourism that supports and develops local economies and communities.
Gillian Tans, CEO of Booking.com, commented: “At Booking.com, our mission is to empower people to experience more of the world. There are thousands of beautiful, unique destinations to explore in every corner of the globe, but thats not something we should take for granted.”
Tans continued: “Through Booking.com Booster, we want to help ventures in sustainable tourism accelerate their growth in order to maximize the impact they can have globally. By identifying and funding these outstanding start-ups, sharing our expertise and working together, we can explore and learn how best to protect the future of the destinations we love so much so that our great-great-grandchildren can continue to enjoy them for years to come.”
The three-week booster program has been co-designed with the partner organization Impact Hub and will consist of a series of workshops, lectures, and coaching sessions with industry experts. As well as the opportunity to pitch for grants from Booking.com’s fund.
In addition, the small group of selected, participating start-ups will also receive several months of weekly mentoring from expert Booking.com sponsors following the accelerator program in Amsterdam.
Booking.com is accepting applications from interested start-ups from across the world until March 1, 2017.
For more, go to http://www.booking.com/booster .
