West Bank hosts first digital tourism hackathon
For the first time, Palestinians hold a digital tourism hackathon to develop innovative solutions to the problems facing the tourism industry.
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Before participating in the first Digital Tourism Hackathon in Palestine that ended July 2, Awad Hamad participated in around five technology incubators to market his digital tourism innovative project but had no luck finding a supportive, favorable environment.
The hackathon, the biggest technological event ever in Palestine, was held at Palestine Techno Park in Birzeit, north of Ramallah in the West Bank, with the aim of developing innovative solutions to the problems facing the Palestinian tourism sector.
Hamad and his team registered their Astronomical Galaxy project, which consists of promoting astronomical tourism in Palestine through networking with tourism offices via a digital application that organizes astronomical trips to explore the sky and track stars.
The biggest surprise for Hamad was when his project won first prize out of more than 140 startup projects that qualified to participate in the Digital Tourism Hackathon.
