Global AI-first travel tech firm Dida recently announced the winners of its inaugural Future of Travel Innovation Challenge.
Done in partnership with Headstart Global, the final leg of the Challenge was staged at the iconic Shangri-La Hotel in The Shard, London.
The competition brought together the brightest student innovators from leading UK universities to reimagine the future of global travel through technology, creativity, and sustainability.
Dida Holdings group CEO Daryl Lee commented: “The future of travel belongs to those who can combine technology, creativity, and human insight. What we saw today was truly inspiring, a new generation of innovators pushing boundaries and redefining how the world will experience travel in the years ahead. Through this initiative, Dida is proud to invest in young talent and foster the ideas that will shape the next era of global travel technology.”
High-calibre thinkers
Dr Christine Chow, governor-emeritus at the London School of Economics and CEO of Tracker Group, served as guest judge on the panel and marvelled at the excellence displayed by each team.
She said:: “The standard of innovation and professionalism displayed by these students was exceptional. Their ability to apply emerging technologies to real-world travel challenges shows that the future of this industry will be defined by fresh thinking and purpose-driven design.”
The Future of Travel Innovation Challenge represents Dida’s continued commitment to nurturing the next generation of talent and deepening collaboration between academia and the travel technology industry.
Meet the winners
The nine finalist teams pitched their groundbreaking ideas live to a panel of judges from Dida’s global executive leadership and innovation partners.
The winners per category are as follows:
- Team Trip Sentinel: Winners of the AI-powered Travel category, recognised for their intelligent trip optimisation and personalisation engine. (Durham University, Year 1 Bachelors)
- Team RME Solutions: Winners of the Sustainability category, for their innovative approach to reducing carbon impact in travel supply chains. (University College London, Year 1)
- Team Synapse: Winners of the Future of Accommodation Design category, celebrated for their forward-thinking model of adaptive, tech-integrated hospitality spaces. (Imperial College London, Masters Year 1)
Each winning team received a cash prize and an all-expenses-paid visit to Dida’s global headquarters in Shenzhen, China’s renowned “Silicon Valley,” where they will immerse themselves in Dida’s innovation ecosystem and collaborate with its product and engineering teams.
