The deadline for Asian Development Bank’s (ADB) hackathon to spur travel in Southeast Asia in the wake of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has been extended to 24 January.
The hackathon, Re-establishing Tourism Confidence through Innovative Digital Solutions: Fast-tracking Tourism Recovery in Southeast Asia, will award $10,000 to the winner.
Tourist traffic in the region and elsewhere had plummeted in the wake of the pandemic due to border closures and travel restrictions. Southeast Asia's tourism sector was among the hardest hit, along with the small and medium-sized enterprises that depend on tourists for their income. The World Travel and Tourism Council estimates Asia and the Pacific's tourism sector would lose up to $1.1 trillion in income and 69.3 million jobs in 2020 due to the pandemic.
Areas of interest
ADB cited the following as areas of interest for the hackathon:
- Real-time updates on COVID-19 health and safety protocols implemented by public and private tourism service providers and information about evolving visa, air and ground transport, accommodation, tours, food and beverage services, and other tourism business operations;
- Integrated end-to-end travel planning tools (air and ground transport, accommodations, food and beverages, health, and wellness, etc.) that integrate COVID-19 safety and prevention measures;
- Creative digital marketing campaigns that maintain destination visibility and engender consumer confidence to travel again.
The virtual challenge is open to individuals and teams of up to five people.
Up to 10 submissions will be shortlisted to proceed to the mentoring stage.
Shortlisted teams will be paired with experts to help members understand the problem and refine the proposed solution.
Out of the 10 shortlisted solutions, four to five teams will be selected to make a final pitch.
Proposals will be judged based on:
- Business value 30%
- Operational feasibility and scalability 30%
- User experience 20%
- Technical competency 20%
The hackathon was launched on 21 October during the inaugural Southeast Asia Development Symposium organized by ADB.
