Patricia de Lille at the G20 Tourism Hackathon with the young innovators.
A group of young innovators from across SA’s universities recently gathered at Sabi River Sun Resort, in Mpumalanga, for the G20 Tourism Hackathon. The event, launched by minister of tourism, Patricia de Lille, in June 2025 at the University of Western Cape, brought together 46 youth representing 21 institutions of higher education.
The hackathon, held in partnership with the Future Leaders Challenges event, the Centre for Public Service Innovation and Geekulcha, focused on generating AI solutions to drive job creation and sustainable growth in the tourism sector.
“The G20 Tourism Hackathon is more than a competition; it is a legacy project that brings government, business and academia together to build a tech-savvy tourism sector,” said De Lille.
Working in teams, the students were mentored to develop AI solutions that enhance the tourism experience, promote sustainability and benefit society.
Their prototypes, applications and solutions had to be effective within the travel and tourism industry and support the following themes: Smart tourism and AI solutions; community-based tourism and rural inclusion; and heritage and cultural tourism innovation.
“This year, we challenged the youth to think big and showcase their skills to the world. We were not just looking for good ideas; we are investing in solutions that are ethical, inclusive and sustainable. The winning solutions will be accelerated for commercialisation, with funding from the Department of Tourism and our partners,” explained De Lille.
Students presented their solutions to a panel of judges from academia, tourism and government. The solutions were judged on innovation, feasibility, user experience, impact and alignment with people-centred principles.
G20 Tourism Hackathon Challenge winners
In first place was The Catalysts, a team that conceptualised a Hologram Hub that offers a digital platform enabling rural communities to tell their story, to profile and preserve their cultural heritage, while attracting tourists to their communities.
In second place was Map My Biz, with a solution that combines offline accredited learning, AI-driven support and a global smart map that makes rural entrepreneurs visible, trusted and supported by tourists.
Coming in third was Ubuntu Unlimited, which created a digital tourism platform that blends VR, AI and Web3 to showcase SA’s rural cultures to the world.
