world news

Tourism Start Up focus on Innovation and Sustainability say UNWTO

Published

5 years ago

January 16, 2020

All Regions, January 17, 2020 — The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), in association with Globalia, the leading tourism group in Spain and Latin America, has selected the finalists of the 2nd Global Tourism Startup Competition, an initiative that the two entities have been working on since 2018 when its first edition was held.

In the competition’s first two editions, Wakalua, the global tourism innovation hub powered by Globalia, in collaboration with the World Tourism Organization, has received proposals of nearly 5,000 startups from 150 countries. The countries with the highest number of projects submitted have been Spain, followed by India, the United States, Portugal, Nigeria and Colombia.

The second edition features startups in a more mature stage, with 10% having had more than EUR 500,000 in turnover in 2018. The finalists will present their projects at the Wakalua headquarters in Madrid. Seven will win awards in their respective categories.

Sustainability
Building on the success of the inaugural competition, this new edition continues to identify new companies that will lead the sector’s transformation. The aim and common denominator is to achieve a sustainable and profitable future through technology and innovation. This initiative is supported by partners such as Turismo de Portugal, Telefónica, Amadeus, Intu Costa del Sol, IE Africa Center and Distrito Digital Valencia, among others.

These partners will participate actively in the final decision and in the subsequent promotion, financing rounds and implementation of the pilot projects with the winners:

Categories
This annual competition is one of the flagship projects of Wakalua, the tourism innovation hub powered by Globalia in collaboration with the World Tourism Organization. Wakalua will host the winning startups for further development, providing support in order to establish links with leading companies in the sector. Innovation consulting firm Barrabés.biz is also a partner making this project possible.

Deep Tech, rethinking location and geolocation: With the backing of Amadeus, the aim in this category is to select the best startup that simplifies trips for customers or suppliers using location systems. Solutions that combine location data with artificial intelligence can be used to identify tourism regions, associate them with nearby airports, optimize, and offer opinion mining, among others.

Smart Mobility: In partnership with Telefónica, this category features projects that improve the quality of travel and that facilitate the mobility of users using any transport system. The objective is to reduce economic, environmental and time costs.

Smart Destinations: With the collaboration of Distrito Digital Valencia, solutions will be identified to improve the sustainability and profitability of destinations from the economic, environmental and socio-cultural perspectives by leveraging technology to help foster innovation and accessibility in an increasingly globalized world.

Disruptive Hospitality: Intu Costa del Sol will analyse companies that contribute to optimizing the total experience of travellers by combining the best solutions in the world of retail, shopping centres, food, leisure and hotels, so that, through personalized services and digital connectivity, every trip can be as efficient and effective as possible.

Rural Development: Globalia will place special emphasis on rural areas with the objective of transferring knowledge and innovation, and improving their viability and competitiveness.With the overall objective of promoting a shift towards an increasingly low-carbon economy, this category also seeks out companies devoted to risk management and animal welfare, as well as the restoration, preservation and improvement of ecosystems.

Innovative tourism solutions: Turismo de Portugal will present an award for the best innovation project outside the above categories.

Special award for sustainability: In addition, the UNWTO and Globalia will present a special sustainability award with the aim of giving more visibility to projects that are committed to more efficient and sustainable tourism.

Lastly, the IE Africa Center will recognize 2 projects in terms of social impact in Africa, awarding them with the Social Innovation Retreat scholarship, Sun Cycles Namibia and Enjoy Agriculture Senegal, presenting their initiatives. The winner of the Travel Tech 4 Good accelerator, in collaboration with the Tui Care Foundation and Enpact, Halla Travel, will also present its startup.

Finalists by category:

Deep Tech:
Klustera (Mexico)
TravelX (India/USA)

Smart Mobility:
Eccocar (Spain)
Zeleros (Spain)

Smart Destinations:
Road.Travel (Russia)
Visualfy (Spain)

Disruptive Hospitality:
Hackpacking (Peru)
Questo (Romania)

Rural development:
i-likelocal (Netherlands)
Rutopia (Mexico)

Innovative tourism solutions:
HiJiffy (Portugal)
LUGGit (Portugal)

Sustainability:
Adventure Junky (Australia)
La Voyageuse (France)
Live Electric Tours (Portugal)
Pikala (Morocco)

Press Release, UN World Tourism Organization, January 10, 2020

Caribbean News

Kenya’s Minister of Interior and National Administration Reports on Mission to Haiti

Published

1 week ago

February 8, 2025

Deandrea Hamilton

February 8, 2025

“The Kenya-led Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission in Haiti continues to grow in troop numbers amid assurance of ironclad support from the international community.

This morning, I saw off an additional 144 police officers comprising 120 men and 24 women to bolster the 600 officers deployed earlier who have already made commendable progress in reducing gang violence in the Caribbean nation. Other countries, notably Guatemala and El Salvador, have in recent weeks deployed additional officers. Together with Jamaican and Belizean troops, and supported by Haitian police, we’re making concerted efforts to establish order.

Kenya’s leadership in this noble mission, which is supported by the UN Trust Fund for Haiti established under the UN Security Council Resolution 2699, is in recognition of our long-standing contribution to peacekeeping missions and peace support operations.

We’re constantly in touch with the UN and countries supporting this mission including the USA whose support in equipment and funding has been invaluable and unwavering.

Inspector General National Police Service Mr Douglas Kanja, Internal Security and National Administration PS Dr Raymond Omollo, Foreign and Diaspora Affairs PS Dr Korir Sing’Oei, National Security Advisor to the President Dr Monica Juma and Deputy National Security Advisor Mr Joseph Boinnet, among other senior officials, joined me in seeing off the contingent.”

Onesimus Kipchumba Murkomen

Ministry of. Interior and National Administration

Kenya

Latin America and Caribbean

Latin America and the Caribbean Regional Overview of Food Security and Nutrition 2024

Published

3 weeks ago

January 27, 2025

Deandrea Hamilton

MEDIA RELEASE

QUICK SUMMARY

Key findings specific to The Bahamas based on the report:

Food Security and Undernourishment:

In the 2021–2023 period, The Bahamas had one of the lowest prevalence rates of moderate or severe food insecurity in the Caribbean at 17.2%.
Data on undernourishment for The Bahamas is not consistently available, but the country has been noted for relatively better food security conditions compared to others in the region.

Affordability of a Healthy Diet:

In 2022, The Bahamas had a high cost of a healthy diet at 5.41 PPP dollars per person per day, higher than the Caribbean average of 5.16 PPP dollars.

Policy Framework:

The Bahamas’ National Food and Nutrition Security Policy and Action Plan (2017–2021) identifies climate variability as a significant driver of food insecurity. It includes objectives to strengthen resilience against crises, including climate-related impacts.

Climate and Food Systems:

Climate variability and extremes are acknowledged as challenges to the country’s agrifood systems. Investments in resilience and better governance are highlighted as essential for mitigating these impacts

News

What the State Department says about Marco Rubio; former Florida Senator CONFIRMED 99-0

Published

3 weeks ago

January 25, 2025

Deandrea Hamilton

The USA, January 25, 2025 – Marco Rubio was born in Miami, Florida in 1971. Rubio is the son of Cuban immigrants who left Cuba in pursuit of the American Dream. His father worked as a banquet bartender, while his mother split time as a stay-at-home mom and hotel maid. From an early age, Rubio learned the importance of faith, family, community, and dignified work.

Rubio is passionate about the American Dream because he’s lived it himself. He was drawn to public service in large part because of conversations with his grandfather, who witnesses how communism destroyed his homeland. After meeting and marrying his wife Jeanette, Rubio served as a City Commissioner in West Miami and as Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives. In 2010, he won a seat in the U.S. Senate. He served as U.S. Senator until 2025.

During his tenure in the U.S. Senate, Rubio was committed to serving the people of Florida and ensuring America remained a strong, resilient nation for generations to come. Rubio was a Senior Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Vice Chair of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, a member of the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee, as well as the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship.

Rubio wrote and passed the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, which represents the greatest turning point in U.S.-China relations in decades. He also co-led the Hong Kong Relations Act, and the VERDAD Act. During the first Trump Administration, he worked with the President to hold members of the Cuban regime accountable, including the dictatorship’s military holding company. Rubio also created the Paycheck Protection Program, which helped save millions of small businesses in America when the COVID pandemic hit.

In November 2024, President Trump nominated Rubio to serve as America’s Secretary of State. Secretary Rubio was the first cabinet member who was confirmed in the second Trump Administration. He received a historic unanimous vote of 99-0 in the U.S. Senate.

Rubio was sworn in as the 72nd Secretary of State on January 21, 2025. Secretary Rubio’s priority is to have a Department of State that puts America First.