Groundbreaking Tourism Accelerators in the Mekong Region
The Mekong Innovative Startup Tourism (MIST) Initiative has announced two new accelerators designed to make it easier and faster for innovative tourism businesses to get established in Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, and Vietnam.
The MIST Startup Accelerator will take entries from early stage companies with either travel technology or traditional tourism business plans and welcome applications from mature international tourism startups needing assistance entering the region.
Applicants must demonstrate how they will create jobs, generate positive community impact and contribute to sustainable tourism growth in Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, or Vietnam.
“The MIST accelerator programs give a leg up to tourism investments that create jobs, help local communities, and support entrepreneurship, especially for women,” explained Dominic Mellor, senior Asian Development Bank economist and head of the Mekong Business Initiative.
Founders accepted into the MIST Startup Accelerator will attend mini bootcamps to further develop their business plans. The top business plans for each country market will win MIST Innovation Grants, with the best overall receiving US$10,000 and the three runners-up receiving $7,000.
MIST Market Access Accelerator participants will join familiarization tours of relevant Mekong Region markets. Through these tours, they will receive coaching, custom market insights, and introductions to supplier networks and relevant stakeholders.
