“Tourism today is one of the areas where technology is already fundamentally changing the traveler’s experience and the competitiveness of the destinations themselves. We want Lithuania to be not only an attractive travel destination but also a place where innovations dedicated to tourism are born. Therefore, we take the initiative and discuss at the international level, seek solutions, and pay attention to the digital agenda and artificial intelligence solutions in the tourism sector,” says Deputy Minister of Economy and Innovation Guoda Burokienė.
The international tourism forum organized by the Ministry of Economy and Innovation, in cooperation with the United Nations World Tourism Organization and the European Commission’s European Capitals of Tourism Secretariat, also hosted the final of the startup challenge “Discover Lithuania,” where five startups from Lithuania, France, Spain, the United Kingdom, and Greece presented solutions that could increase Lithuania’s visibility and competitiveness as a tourism destination, as well as solutions to protect the environment, distribute tourist flows across regions, and extend the tourism season.
“Tourism is entering a new era where data, artificial intelligence, and new technologies increasingly influence how we discover, experience, and manage tourist destinations. Our responsibility is to ensure that this transformation is sustainable, inclusive, and beneficial to local communities. The solutions presented in Vilnius demonstrate the enormous potential for innovation when technology is combined with creativity, entrepreneurship, and collaboration,” says Antonijus Lopesas de Avila, Director of Innovation, Education, and Investment at the United Nations World Tourism Organization.
Startups were evaluated based on business model sustainability, innovativeness, team maturity, collaboration opportunities, commercial impact potential, product or service maturity, social and environmental impact, and the application, uniqueness, and other aspects of technological and digital solutions.
The winner, the UK startup “iWander,” presented an artificial intelligence-based personalized travel and walking solution that creates individual narrated routes according to the traveler’s interests, available time, and desired travel mood.
The Lithuanian company “Legego,” representing Lithuania in the final, also participated – a platform offering to digitize attractions in more remote areas. This startup was selected by the international jury according to internal rules, which require at least one representative from the country.
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“Murmuration” from France presented a deep technology-based solution that uses satellite data and artificial intelligence to assess and manage tourism’s environmental impact. The solution enables tourist destinations to better understand visitor flows and their environmental impact.
“Stendhapp” from Italy is a culture and technology startup working to popularize lesser-known cultural heritage and address overtourism issues. With AI’s help, cultural programs are offered to tourists based on their location, providing recommendations on what to visit nearby. This is a proposal to implement an Italian AI-based cultural tourism platform in Lithuania, which would help tourists discover lesser-known places and cultural sites, while giving regions more visibility and helping attract visitors.
Greece’s “Ask Navina” presented an artificial intelligence travel assistant that provides personalized real-time recommendations and helps travelers discover less-visited places.
An important part of the forum was training by “Amadeus,” one of the world’s largest travel technology companies. They presented the impact of artificial intelligence, technologies, and new business models on the travel sector and the possibilities of data use in tourism.
The forum became part of Lithuania’s startup ecosystem event week. On the same day, “Investor Camp” was held in Vilnius, gathering about 300 investors from 20 countries, and on September 17, the international “Startup Fair” will take place, expecting more than 450 startups and 300 investors.
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