Booking.com's Accelerator Programme: The 10 Startups

Booking.com Announces the 10 Startups that will Join its New Accelerator Programme in Sustainable Tourism

Nearly 700 startups with teams from 102 countries applied to join the first ever Booking.com Booster Programme, for a chance to pitch for grants of up to €500k

LONDON – 10 APRIL 2017 – Today Booking.com, the global leader in connecting travellers with the widest choice of incredible places to stay, announced the 10 startups that will join its new accelerator programme, Booking.com Booster. The goal of the programme is to identify, mentor and fund enterprising startups from around the world that are seeking to have a positive impact on the global tourism industry. The 10 selected ventures will participate in a 3-week programme in June 2017 in Amsterdam that culminates with a chance to pitch to a panel of Booking.com and industry experts for grants of up to €500,000 from Booking.com.

“We are so impressed with the amazing diversity and quality of applications that we received for the Booking.com Booster Programme. The incredible passion and genuinely innovative business concepts we saw from startups from practically every corner of the globe was truly inspiring,” said Gillian Tans, CEO of Booking.com. “I can’t wait to get to know these 10 startups better and see how we can help them to accelerate their growth plans in order to bring their vision for sustainable tourism to even more destinations around the world.”

The 10 sustainable travel startups that will be joining Booking.com Booster in June 2017 are:

MovingWorlds (USA & Colombia)

Authenticook (India)

Backstreet Academy (Singapore and Southeast Asia)

Visit.org (USA)

Awake (Colombia)

Seabin (Australia & Spain)

MEJDI Tours (Israel & Palestine)

Desolenator (UK)

Local Alike (Thailand)

Good Hotel (Guatemala, UK & Netherlands)

Nearly 700 startups with teams from 102 nationalities applied to join the programme, with the United States, India, the Netherlands, Russia and Italy topping the list for the highest numbers of applicants.

Desolenator (UK)

Desolenator is a clean off-grid technology that can purify any water – seawater or contaminated sources – into clean drinking water using solar power.

The UN estimates that by 2030, half of the world will not have access to clean water. 98% of our water resides in our seas but is saline and unfit for consumption. If we are to support our growing global community, we must start desalinating. Most importantly, we must do so in a manner that is sustainable, affordable and accessible for everyone. The Desolenator unit is 100% run on solar power and does not use consumables such as filters, membranes or pre-treatment chemicals. Each unit produces up to 20L/day and can be scaled in a modular fashion providing water independence to a family or several households. A community sized model which will deliver 1000L/day is currently under development.

Desolenator has the potential to transform the lives of millions. Contaminated water sources can be purified, coastal towns and island nations can turn the surrounding sea into a limitless supply of fresh water and communities can become water independent.

“Tourism has an essential role to play in promoting sustainability and conserving natural environments. Hotels that are located on islands face a real dilemma in obtaining fresh water, usually resorting to shipping in thousands of plastic bottles or running their own diesel desalination plant. We believe Desolenator can make a positive impact by providing these hotels with a sustainable alternative - a clean technology that can turn seawater into fresh water using only the power of the sun. We could not be more excited to collaborate and have the support of Booking.com as it is with their expert guidance that we hope to bring this innovation into the hospitality industry. Together we will reduce plastic pollution, lower carbon emissions and protect the natural environments on which local communities and tourism depend on. Herein lies a unique opportunity to set a new industry standard for water that protects and benefits people and planet.”

For more information about the Booking.com Booster Programme, refer to the launch release available on our global media room: https://globalnews.booking.com/bookingcom-launches-accelerator-programme-for-startups-in-sustainable-tourism/

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CONTACT DETAILS:

For further information, contact the Booking.com UK Press Office:

Lon-booking@ketchum.com / (0)20 3755 6400