News
27th May 2022
World Tourism Forum Lucerne WTFL is ready for the future with sharpened vision and new owner
We are very happy to announce that SHL Schweizerische Hotelfachschule Luzern is the new owner of the brand ‘World Tourism Forum Lucerne’. Martin Barth, the founder and former CEO of WTFL, is extremely satisfied with this solution: “I am convinced that in choosing SHL, we have found the perfect new owner of the ‘World Tourism Forum Lucerne’ brand to pursue its visions together. "
Martin Barth will continue to contribute his expertise and international network to the brand ‘World Tourism Forum Lucerne’ as SHL has entrusted him with the further development of the international business.
Read more about the new chapter of the ‘World Tourism Forum Lucerne’ in the press release.
21st January 2022
SUCCESSFUL START-UP INNOVATION CAMP & SUMMIT IN RAS AL KHAIMA, UAE
The World Tourism Forum Lucerne organized the Start-Up Innovation Camp & Summit in Ras Al Khaimah, UAE on 18 & 19 January. With about 150 guests including even His Highness Sheikh Saud Bin Saqr Al Qasimi, 13 speakers and 12 selected start-ups the event was a great success.
17th December
a culinary sensation
Check out the short video from SHL (Schweizerische Hotelfachschule Luzern) of the incredible dinner provided by some of their students during the WTFL Innovation Festival in Andermatt last month.
27th November
we’re winners of the tourism award 2021
What an honour! World Tourism Forum Lucerne was one of just three organisations to win the Tourism Award 2021. The prestigious prize was handed to Martin Barth, Reto Wittwer and the WTFL team at a gala dinner “Festival der Gastfreundschaft” at Lucerne’s KKL in recognition of their work over the years.
Watch the video here.
18th November
innovation festival in andermatt
We had a fantastic time in Andermatt at our inaugural Innovation Festival “Moving Forward” and our heads and hearts are full of the unforgettable moments we shared with all our incredible participants. Relive the excitement by watching our highlights film. If you want a deep dive into any of the sessions from the conference, all the recordings, presentations and pitch decks are available online too.
17th August
best practice innovation
We spoke with Hapimag CEO, Hassan Kadbi to ask how he ensures his business stays ahead of the curve. Where does he look for inspiration? How has he modernised a traditional business model through digitalisation? And how has he facilitated ongoing innovation in his teams?
11th August
RESET WITH IHCL
At WTFL we focus a lot on start-ups. But we shouldn’t forget that large well-established enterprises can also be innovative. As we’ve all seen recently, times of crisis can be catalysts for change. Despite being one of Asia’s largest hospitality companies, IHCL (Indian Hotels Company Limited) is remarkably agile, constantly reimagining and refining its products and services as shown here by their RESET 2020 video.
6th August 2021
congratulations smartguide
One of the finalists in our 2021 search for the world’s best tourism start-ups has just closed their latest fundraising campaign 170% oversubscribed. Well done to CEO Jan Dolezal and team for raising a phenomenal $930,000 to further develop the global tour guiding platform which turns every phone into a contactless personal tour guide. SmartGuide is one of Europe’s fastest growing travel tech start-ups, and already features almost 500 destinations on 5 continents. Find out more here.
8 July 2021
wanted! travel tech start-ups
World Travel Market London (WTM L), Travel Forward (TF) and the World Tourism Forum Lucerne (WTFL) are joining forces to find and support travel tech start-ups unlocking new innovations and providing much needed sustainable solutions and inspiration to the sector.
Learn more about the Front Runners Travel Tech Competition & Summit here. The application window and hunt for future front runners is now open!
22 June 2021
WTFL & ESA JOINT INITIATIVE
World Tourism Forum Lucerne (WTFL) in cooperation with the European Space Agency (ESA) is pleased to announce that the two organisations have joined forces to support innovative tourism business projects harnessing space technologies to help the sector in its transition to the new normal, rapid digitalisation and sustainable transformation.
More information about the opportunity is available here.
23 June 2021
Second Free online meetup held on 22 june
Our second Online Meetup featured a selection of engaging speakers. The fast-paced 90-minute session culminated in a video networking event, allowing our participants from around the world to come together for lively discussions. Missed it? Watch the recording here.
18 May 2021
new gender diversity study
We’ve just published a new report, in cooperation with Aptamind, which highlights the worrying lack of diversity at the top of some of the world’s best known hospitality, travel and tourism companies. Despite being one of the world’s most gender diverse industries, female representation at senior management level and above is abysmally low.
Click here to read the report. It presents a detailed analysis of data from the most valuable, publicly listed 100 companies in the travel and tourism industry.
30 April 2021
successful Online meetup with our global community
On 29 April 2021 our first ever free Online Meetup was attended by hundreds of participants from around the world. Watch the recording online here.
25 March 2021
NEw dates for our innovation festival
Our inaugural hybrid Innovation Festival “Moving Forward” will take place in Andermatt and online on 15-16 November 2021. Keep an eye on the event website to get the latest updates on the programme, side events and speakers.
“Tourism is more than just travelling. Tourism is one of the most important drivers for the development of a country or a destination and strongly connects to many other industries.
World Tourism Forum Lucerne is the only platform where international top level decision makers from industry, government, academia and finance discuss the future challenges with the next generation.
We cordially invite you to join this exceptional networking platform with an open minded and future oriented exchange across industries and generations.”
World Tourism Forum Lucerne 2019, 2-3 May
Impressions From Past Events
INDIAN Start-Up Innovation Camp 2019
On 18 December 2019 we made our Indian debut with a fantastic event in Bangalore. Four deserving winners were chosen from over 200 submissions and awarded with cash prizes and a two-year mentoring programme.
Have a look at all our past events here.
SWISS START-UP INNOVATION CAMP 2019
Held in Lucerne, Switzerland for the second time, the event on 8. November 2019 was a great success. Of the 60 start-ups to apply, the jury selected five winners as the top contenders in their categories. An exciting day of innovative start-up pitches, interspersed with valuable coaching, stimulus sessions and workshops.