On April 6th and 7th, International Project Manager Julio Cesar will present a demo pitch of Shake to Win as one of the top 30 shortlisted startups at The Journey Innovation Growth Program in Portugal. This year marks the 4th edition of the event held fully online focusing on addressing the highest priority challenges for the sector to boost the recovery. As part of the program, The Journey 4.0 looks at the impact of COVID-19 on tourism, calling on startups from all industries with innovative solutions to the challenges in the areas of hospitality, parks & monuments, tours & activities, and payment solutions.

Organized by beta-i with the main partner, Portugal Tourism Board. The Journey finds innovative solutions for the tourism sector. The open innovation program gathers startups from all over the world and from numerous industries to help solve business challenges with the partners. The program’s main goal is to co-develop impactful pilot projects in just four months. Startups and program partners may then continue their collaboration. Also present at the event are the piloting partners: VISA, Parques de Sintra Monte da Lua, Pestana Hotel Group, Selina, UNICRE, and the Barraqueiro Group, who will partner and collaborate closely with the select startups for pilot development.

“We are very grateful for applying to The Journey because of the support received since day one. The entire team from Beta-i has been very supportive and driven to empower our application to the limit. At the same time, we value how focused is the program toward the digitalization of the industry of tourism, acknowledging that this is key for succeeding during these challenging times.”

Julio Cesar, Shake to Win International Project Manager

Shake to Win stands as an innovative solution to the issues regarding digitalization and market reach for small to medium business owners that lack efficient resources and understanding to reach travelers from within the Chinese market. Through the platform, business owners are able to market their unique offerings to young Chinese travelers in Chinese, while at the same time appealing to these potential travelers’ desires to experience new things. Recent efforts in broadening the appeal for lesser-known regions stand in line with Shake to Win’s strategy and goals to help balance issues such as lack of rural tourism, over-tourism, digital payment access, and more. Projects in collaboration with local tourism boards like our efforts in Mexico with the Magical Towns rural tourism boost is one of the key ways Shake to Win drives sustainable tourism offerings for Chinese consumers. 

Furthermore, the in-house e-commerce platform allows local vendors to amplify their sales and marketing reach through digital marketing tactics suitable for the Chinese market at a relatively low cost. China business registration, language localization, and regulatory compliance as well as promotion activities allow for international businesses of all scales to easily enter the Chinese market.

Shake to Win Social Media sharing on Weibo

“We are glad to find such a robust ecosystem where we can share our DNA with the innovation community from Europe. For us, this is an excellent opportunity to connect and succeed among the European ecosystem of new businesses and solutions in TravelTech; and our relationship with the Journey is the perfect point of departure.”

Julio Cesar, Shake to Win International Project Manager

At the final stage of the four-month program, the finalist startups will have the opportunity to showcase the final results of the pilot projects during the Lisbon Tourism Summit. This summit is a major event dedicated to the tourism sector featuring tourism experts, government bodies, investors, and media.