National Focus

Mekong Innovative Startups in Tourism Accelerator program: Vietnam leads semi-finalists

By Ngoc Anh May 01, 2018 | 09:56 AM GMT+7

Out of 19 semi-finalists, seven Vietnamese startups have been chosen to join the Mekong Innovative Startups in Tourism program in 2018, the biggest number in the tally.

There has never been such a unique combination between technology platform and hospitality like Mekong Innovative Startups in Tourism (MIST), which not only helps to boost the sustainable development of Mekong’s tourism but also stimulates the overall economies in the regions.

On April 16, a list of 19 qualified startups has been announced to enter the MIST Startup Accelerator program.

According to Jason Lusk, MIST Project Leader, it was a difficult decision to select 19 startups from 100 applications, the chosen ones are the most excellent travel startups in the Greater Mekong Subregion with creative models, capacity to scale, ability to influence local communities and potential to resolve key difficulties facing tourism in the region.

The list of seven chosen Vietnamese startups.

From May 17 to 22, the semi-finalists will participate in a MIST Travel Startups Fundamentals Bootcamp in Ho Chi Minh city, Vietnam.

The best five startups will obtain innovation grants of $10,000 afterwards, six months of comprehensive training, a journey to meet industry expert at the Mekong Tourism Forum (MTF) in Nakhon Phanom, Thailand and a chance to pitch investors in Singapore.

The other twelves startups from the Greater Mekong Subregion.

MIST combines a Startup Accelerator for young startups from Cambodia, Lao PDR, Thailand, Myanmar and Vietnam.

The MIST Startup Accelerator pushes forward innovative startups and companies operating in travel tech, hospitality, and tourism, which is supported by the Australian Government in cooperation with the Asian Development Bank (ADB).

Additionally, it also contains a Market Access program for mature startups based anywhere in the world that require MIST’s help localizing proven tourism products and solutions into the Greater Mekong Subregion.

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