Moroccan Tourism Startups Focus on Innovation and Sustainability

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Sustainable Company: Pikala Bikes, Marrakech

The 2nd edition of the World Tourism Organization Global Tourism (UNWTO) Startup Competition has announced that the Moroccan company Pikala Bikes is one of four top finalists in the sustainability category. Their entry will compete in the final phase in Madrid, on January 20, 2020. The company’s competition includes Adventure Junkies (Australia), La Voyageuse (France), and Live Electric Tours (Portugal).

Pikala Bikes is a social enterprise whose mission is to fight unemployment problems in Morocco. The Marrakech based organization uses bicycle as a medium to educate and employ local youth. Unemployment staggers around 29.3% in the North African country. Pikala’s training program helps by providing bike mechanic training and employing the locals in the tourism sector. Once workers have accumulated enough knowledge of traffic safety and cycling, they can work as bicycle guides. In addition to stimulating the Moroccan economy, the bicycle project promotes a cleaner environment by providing an alternative to scooters, buses, and cars.

The second edition of UNWTO continues it’s mission to identify the pioneering companies in technology and innovation. Judges of the competition will include the event’s partners: Turismo de Portugal, Telefónica, Amadeus, Intu Costa del Sol, IE Africa Center, and Distrito Digital Valencia, among others.

For the 2019-2020 UNWTO Global Tourism Startup Competition received nearly 5,000 entries from 150 countries. The event is powered by Globalia, the leading tourism group in Spain and Latin America and in collaboration with UNWTO, the United Nations Specialized Agency promoting responsible, sustainable, and accessible tourism.