Edition #96, March 2nd

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Hi ,

I'm still feeling the excitement from last night's Travel Tech Connect event we hosted here in Barcelona! It was amazing to see so many like-minded people come together to talk about startups, mingle with industry friends, and enjoy a cold brew. I was thrilled to meet some new founders, learn about their exciting ventures, and connect with businesses committed to driving innovation in the travel industry. It just shows that there's nothing quite like the power of bringing people together to spark new ideas and drive innovation. Big thanks to our local partner Tech Tourism Cluster <3 I can’t wait for the next opportunity to meet many of you IRL!

And now: are you ready for the latest and greatest from the travel industry? Here are the top news stories!

• Meet the city charging a tourist entrance fee. In the second post of our “Meet the City” content series, we talk about Venice: the Italian city known for its canals, gondolas, and art is pioneering a controversial initiative to combat the impacts of excessive tourism. The city plans to charge a €10 tourist fee for daily visitors, which raises questions about the future of travel and tourism. Despite being a vital part of the local economy, the city's exploitation is not an option anymore. With the clear message of making tourism more sustainable, Venice is taking a position to create a more sustainable tourism ecosystem, inspiring other cities to follow its example.

• A travel accelerator focusing on impact. Travel Impact Lab has launched the world's first accelerator program for travel startups that are all about impact. The program aims to empower and support founders in the travel and impact industry to develop solutions for customers to make sustainable choices of where, when, how, and why they travel. It's a 5-month hybrid program that will start in May 2023 and will give founders a chance to learn how to measure the impact of their activities, receive expert coaching and mentoring sessions, and access to strategic partners and investors. Travel startups will work together during the program, and each startup will receive a €100,000 investment in the company in exchange for an 8% equity stake. Applications are now open!

• Making women’s group travel a top focus. Women travelers are getting a premium marketplace as El Camino Travel switches focus on becoming an experiential marketplace for women travelers. The group travel startup raised $1.1 million in pre-seed funding to develop its technology and boost awareness of its brand as a "premium marketplace for women travellers that connects them directly to exceptional experiences. The company offers small group trips to destinations such as Morocco, Guatemala, Egypt, Greece, with an average order value of $3,400. The startup also partners with destination management companies and offers El Camino Clubhouse membership program, offering travel recommendations and guides.

• Joining forces in the same app. A shared booking platform between Greyhound and FlixBus has been introduced by their parent company. This will allow travelers to book rides to almost 2,300 destinations throughout North America from the websites or apps of either company. Customers can expect new features like reserved seating for a small fee and new payment methods.

• Smart vehicles for a better airport experience. As part of Schiphol's goal to make traveling as easy as possible for everyone, Amsterdam Airport Schiphol is partnering with Axxicom Airport Caddy. The airport is testing smart vehicles from personal transportation company WHILL to help travelers with reduced mobility find their way independently and safely around the airport. This includes elderly travelers, people who can't walk long distances, and anyone who worries they might get lost. Passengers can enter their destination, and the vehicle will drive them there and back again.

• Billionaire French deal, oui. European Camping Group (the owner of Eurocamp) has tripled its campsite portfolio by acquiring French Vacanceselect Group for €1 billion. The acquisition will add five-star resorts across France, Italy, Spain, Croatia, and The Netherlands to Eurocamp's portfolio of destinations. The move aims to capitalize on the growing demand for high-end holiday experiences and will allow the group to offer more resorts with premium mobile homes, water parks, activities, and entertainment. To put this in perspective: the expanded group is targeting a turnover of €700 million this year.

• Need a break from a noisy and hectic environment? Nature-focused hospitality startup Unyoked which offers immersive off-grid experiences has secured €18 million in a new funding round. After establishing a strong presence (and always booked cabins!) in Australia and New Zealand, the funding will be used to expand its solar-powered cabins across Europe and the UK. Unyoked offers fully off-grid hideaways that are carefully hand-picked and equipped with solar power, rainwater tanks, wood fires, and composting toilets.

See you next week, Ana

Thank you for reading until the end.

The content of this newsletter is curated and published by Ana Metz, an innovation expert, passionate about technology and excited about the future of travel.

If you are looking for the most disruptive startups in the travel industry right now, check out our Premium Report: “Top 100 Travel Startups” which might be relevant for you.

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