UN Tourism Announces Innovation Competition for Ukraine as a Part of the UN Tourism “Safe Destinations Challenge” Global Initiative
As part of its global “Safe Destinations Challenge”, UN Tourism haslaunched a new competition aimed at finding digital tools to keep visitors toUkraine safe and with the potential to be replicated on a wider scale. Theinitiative was announced on August 15 during the official visit to Ukraine ofthe UN Tourism Secretary-General Shaikha Al Nuwais.
The competition will identify solutions that help tourism destinationsimprove their safety, sustainability, and preparedness for crises and risks. Aspecial category —“Traveller Safety Intelligence”—has been created for Ukraineas part of the “Safe Destinations Challenge”.
The challenge was inspired by Ukraine’s experience in developing digitalsolutions amid a full-scale war, when the tourism sector is forced to respondto air raid alerts, missile attacks, evacuations, infrastructure disruptions,transportation restrictions, and other risks. During this time, a uniqueexperience has been developed in digital technologies, geospatial data, andcrisis communications in the field of human safety.
“We’re often asked how to deal with crises and disasters, and how touristscan be sure they’re safe. That’s exactly why we launched the “Safe Destinations”Initiative. And Ukraine is exceptionally rich in expertise, particularly in theareas of digital solutions and crisis communications. So we decided to try toleverage this expertise both for Ukraine and the global tourism community,” the Director of the UNTourism Regional Department for Europe Cordula Wohlmuther said during thepresentation of the Ukrainian chapter of the Challenge in Kyiv. According toMs. Wohlmuther, as a result of a joint panel discussion between the UN Tourism andthe State Agency for Tourism Development of Ukraine within the framework ofURC2026, a challenge was launched aimed at finding innovative solutions andideas for safe travel in Ukraine and around the world.
Experts from the EIT Community, which actively supports talent developmentand innovative teams creating digital solutions for safer travel, contributedto the development of the Challenge.
“Less than two months after the “Ukraine Recovery Conference” in Gdansk, wehave the opportunity to launch an innovation challenge for Ukrainian startups,small and medium-sized businesses, universities, and innovators. At the sametime, the project is not limited to proposals from Ukrainian developers—anyone acrossEurope who can offer an innovative solution for travel safety is welcome toparticipate. This challenge has the potential to impact the tourism industry globally”, the Head of the EIT Community Hub Ukraine, Ihor Markevych said. Also,Mr. Markevych emphasized that one of Ukraine’s strengths in developing digitalsolutions is its speed and flexibility, shaped by the need to respond quicklyto the challenges of war. “Digital transformation and data-driven tourismdevelopment are among the key priorities in the UN Tourism vision. And this isprecisely what Ukraine can already share with the world today,” Ihor Markevychadded.
Within the “Traveller Safety Intelligence” Challenge, Ukrainian startupsand innovative teams from Europe are invited to develop a new generation ofdigital solutions focused on the traveller’s experience. Potential solutionsinclude real-time risk maps, dynamic safe routes, tools accessible offline, andsystems that use verified and up-to-date data on crisis situations.
An important aspect is that Ukraine could serve as a real-world testingground for such solutions amid the most complex security challenges, afterwhich they could be scaled up for other tourist destinations. For Ukraine, thischallenge is not only an opportunity to showcase its own experience, but alsoto turn it into innovations that can benefit tourists around the world.
Applications will be accepted till September 30, 2026, at https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc_afsPvW5Me4lN2WsR8KrTnHDqd1zdGPQHBTGeyEAXUHBw8A/viewform.
The finalists will be announced in October 2026.
For more information about the “Safe Destinations Challenge” and thespecial category for Ukraine, visit the UN Tourism website: https://www.untourism.int/startup-competition/un-tourism-safe-destinations-challenge-ukrainian-chapter.
