Austria
- Launch of the first emergency aid programme for tourism entrepreneurs in developing and emerging countries.
- Together with enpact, the TUI Care Foundation supports entrepreneurial teams in the tourism sector with mentoring, expert workshops and financial support
The COVID-19 Relief Programme for Tourism launches with the selection of 150, innovative entrepreneurial teams in the tourism sector in Mexico, Kenya, Indonesia and Jordan. The emergency aid programme offers participants workshops with international experts, individual mentoring and financial support. This joint programme from the TUI Care Foundation and enpact is funded by the German Society for International Cooperation (GIZ) on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and aims to strengthen the tourism sector in the participating countries, which has largely come to a standstill due to the Corona crisis. The programme also contributes to the sustainable maintenance and growth of local tourism infrastructures in developing and emerging countries.
The programme kicked off digitally in December with the selected entrepreneurial teams and the first international workshops on topics such as crisis management, digitilisation and sustainability begin this month.
In total, the programme supports 150 companies from four countries. The participating entrepreneurial teams have been affected in different ways by the collapse of tourism in their region. They are mainly new, small businesses, social enterprises and other innovative companies - such as tourism education for young women, adventure organisers who run excursions to undiscovered regions, or providers of sustainable travel experiences which open up new income opportunities for local communities in the process.
In Mexico, many of the participating operators focus on promoting the Mayan culture and the protection of historical sites through responsible, sustainable tourism. La Mano del mono, for example, combines environmental education, ecotourism and experiential learning. With support from La Mano del mono, local communities gain new sources of income, while conservation areas are further protected and preserved through ecotourism, environmental education strategies and local tourism businesses are trained in sustainability.
In Kenya, the young company Solar Freeze is part of the programme. Solar Freeze provides portable, solar-powered refrigerators for off-grid tour camps. This allows guests to be supplied with fresh provisions during their trip. Although the business model is particularly sustainable and has very good prospects for the future, it is currently inactive as a result of the slump in tourism. Now that they have been selected for the enpact and TUI Care Foundation programme, the Solar Freeze team can use this quiet period to further develop their business model and prepare for growth after the pandemic.
Many of the participants from Indonesia have a focus on sustainability and digitalisation – for example, the eco-resort Mana Earthly Paradise in Bali, which is run by the NGO Earth Company. Its resort in Ubud prides itself on being sustainable in different areas - socially, environmentally and economically. Through sustainable practices and innovative eco-technologies, the resort aims to steer tourism on the popular Indonesian holiday island in a more environmentally conscious direction that addresses the area’s challenges.
In Jordan, the entrepreneurial team of Baraka Destinations also focuses on sustainable tourism. Community tourism is the name of the business model in which local people introduce tourists to their culture, customs and everyday environment and offer them insights into local life. Baraka Destinations offers authentic day trips, with customised experiences such as cooking with the community or trips to unique destinations to experience off the beaten track Jordan.
"Tourism is the livelihood for millions of people in the four participating countries. To enable the holiday regions to return to the successful development of the past after the pandemic, it’s important now to maintain the local infrastructure and promote new, innovative and sustainable business models. We are pleased to be able to contribute to this with the emergency aid programme together with enpact in Mexico, Kenya, Indonesia and Jordan," said Dagmar Wöhrl, Member of the Board of the TUI Care Foundation.
The COVID-19 Relief Programme for Tourism will help participating companies from the tourism sector to cope with the economic consequences of the pandemic. The programme is divided into two phases over a period of six months. In January and February 2021, expert workshops and training will take place. From February to May 2021, intensive individual support will be provided by mentors from TUI AG and enpact. With their international tourism expertise and experience in business development and digitalisation, they will empower the participating entrepreneurs to develop their business models further. Throughout the course of the programme, the participating organisations will receive monthly financial support to strengthen their position and enable them to maintain their operations.
Further information can be found at:
www.tuicarefoundation.com/de/aktiv-werden/covid-19-relief-programme-for-tourism
Obligatory funding information:
"Empowering Entrepreneurship Initiative: COVID-19-Relief Programmes & COVID-19- Relief Programmes for Tourism"
The Empowering Entrepreneurship Initiative was developed by enpact e.V. The COVID- 19 Relief Programmes are funded by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH on behalf of the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). enpact implements the programmes and coordinates the implementation with the Strategic Partnership Technology in Africa (SPTA). The tourism programme is implemented by enpact together with TUI Care Foundation.
