Q1 2021 Update: THA 2021 Asia Travel Award and Joins Cyberport Incubation Program
The past year has been a rough one for the travel industry. The effects of COVID-19 have left their mark all over the world’s various business sectors, with the travel industry in particular taking a massive hit. While this may have slowed down operations, our team at TripGuru has taken this downturn and turned it into our own personal challenge. We have decided to trudge on and continue to develop and improve our products and even launch new tours in new destinations.
Last month, our efforts were rewarded when TripGuru was awarded its first-ever The Travel & Hospitality Awards (THA) award in the 2021 Asia Travel Awards programme. The competition was tough — with over 4,000 applicants from around the world, a select panel of experts, customer feedback, and the extremely high standard of applications.
Sebastian Renzacci, TripGuru Founder and CEO, said, “This recognition comes at a very special moment for us. While many companies have shut down and others have gone into hibernation, we’ve decided to take this crisis as an opportunity to double down our efforts in developing new technologies, opening new markets, and signing strategic partnerships. We foresee a massive pent-up demand as soon as travel restrictions are lifted. We truly believe in the resilience of the travel industry, and we are confident that our investments will place TripGuru in an advantageous position to bounce back bigger and stronger than ever before.”
In other news, we have recently been admitted into the Cyberport Incubation Programme, a program that supports entrepreneurs and start-ups by providing them with resources to help accelerate their growth. In addition to a range of business and professional services, incubatees get up to HK$500,000 (approximately $US65,000) equity-free over the course of 24 months. On top of this, Cyberport provides a comprehensive platform to foster success for digital tech entrepreneurs.
To make the most out of this opportunity, we have also relocated our offices to the Cyberport Entrepreneurship center, so as to grab the opportunity to work more closely with our mentors to achieve the milestones set for the accelerator program. With the participation in this program the team at TripGuru hopes to be able to get mentorship from industry experts in different areas of the business such as technology, travel, marketing, and more. We will also gain access to more corporate connections and investors affiliated with Cyberport as well as expand our reach and network.
Francesco Piccolo, TripGuru Co-Founder and CFO says, “Cyberport represents an important point of reference for the startup ecosystem in Hong Kong and we are happy to have moved our headquarters here. We can make the best use of the many facilities made available, join events, and connect with other companies, service providers, and additional resources such as research talents and interns. Moreover many of the program’s alumni, including some of our partners, have accelerated their growth after graduating from the program and have become leading companies in their respective markets. Through this program, we aim to strengthen our relationships with them as well as enlarge our network of investors in Hong Kong.”
