Student entrepreneurship in tourism: UCL team secures DIDA Travel innovation award

For years, the travel industry has faced a huge paradox. Most travellers want to have sustainable options, but very few actually book them. This gap, worth about $1.2 trillion, comes mainly from a lack of trust and the absence of reliable tools for agents to check eco-friendly choices. What seems to be a problem can also be an opportunity-one that, at present, creative minds are turning into practical solutions. With this in mind, three first-year students walked in boldly with an idea to bridge the gap between demand and supply in sustainable tourism under a national innovation competition. Their victory demonstrates how entrepreneurship nurtured among students can turn challenges facing industries into workable solutions.

Victory at the DIDA Future Travel Innovation Challenge

The winners of the DIDA Future Travel Innovation Challenge were a group of first-year undergraduates at UCL - Joelle Roth, Abdullah Malik, and Zane Egiebade. They competed in one of the most prestigious competitions for student innovations in the UK, with more than 80 entries in their category and from hundreds of peers from over 30 universities.

The final was held at the Shangri-La Hotel at The Shard in London, where the judging panel included DIDA's senior leadership. The students' team, RME Solutions, won the top prize in the "Sustainable Tourism Solutions" category, earning £2,000 and a fully funded study tour to DIDA's headquarters in Shenzhen, China.

What UCL's winning idea entailed

The proposal, named the "Dida Sustainable Travel Ecosystem," was recognised as an award-winning solution for the travel technology design challenge. It was built upon four pillars:

1. Green Seal Verification AI-powered system that checks the data of hotels to realise true sustainability certifications.

2. Green Itinerary Builder-an agent for making packages that include certified hotels, local experiences, and eco-transport.

3. Impact Dashboard automated tracking mechanism via which corporate clients can comply with ESG regulations.

4. Community Connect online portal through which local providers would benefit fairly from tourism income.

This idea was tempered as one of the most promising sustainable tourism student projects paired with clear AI-powered travel solutions arising from a university-led startup challenge.

UCL undergraduate entrepreneurship in action

The students explained that as first-years from different disciplines, they saw the contest as a chance to apply their perspectives to a real-world problem. Their success highlights UCL undergraduate entrepreneurship and shows how UCL supports first-years to compete in global innovation challenges in travel tech. The success also proves that even first-time students in tourism can establish the premise that student entrepreneurship is alive in travel.

Why DIDA Travel set UCL-apprenticed students as its finale

The judges said that the team's concept stood out as it considered both demand and supply in sustainable travel. It had something practical for agents, measurable impact on companies, and, ultimately, a fairer outcome for communities. That is why DIDA Travel ended up selecting UCL students as finalists for this innovation challenge and why their project was viewed as scalable throughout the industry.

Effect on career and future potential

The students have been greatly exposed to potential industry leaders and international networks. It is representative of how the DIDA travel innovation challenge contributes to UCL students' careers, as it builds on teamwork, pitching, and product design skills.

These student travel innovation contests would benefit the careers of students, as they develop key competencies such as solving problems through innovation, designing products digitally, and reporting on sustainability. These are the same key competencies that students acquire in innovation challenges at UCL and would go a long way in shaping their destiny in technology and entrepreneurship.

Building the future of sustainable travel

The competition also showed how the potential of travel-tech challenges can turn a more sustainable tourism solution. The UCL team thus combines AI with community-focused design by displaying how, on a much wider scale, sustainable travel student ideas may manipulate the industry.

Their success also serves as a reminder that British university students in the DIDA Travel contest not only compete but set standards for innovation. This is also a great opportunity for organisations to sponsor UCL student innovation competitions, invest in student travel-tech ideas at UCL, and support the next generation of leaders.

This victory for UCL first-year travel innovation winners at the DIDA Future Travel Innovation Challenge is an admonition against viewing it simply as student success but also as a reflection of how UK student entrepreneurship can tackle global challenges from trust in sustainability to fairer tourism practices. This kind of contest will make sure that, with continued support, student innovation competition travel projects will go a long way towards reshaping the industry while inspiring future generations.

Editor's Note:

There continues to be a significant problem with the travel industry; most travellers will prefer sustainable options, but only a fraction of them will book them. A gap of this magnitude, being approximately $1.2 trillion strong, has mistrust associated with it, and also has no reliable means to confirm eco-friendly choices. What has now turned out to be a challenge has also been beckoned as an opportunity, with opportunities rising up from the new generation of entrepreneurs. In this scenario, three first-year students from UCL made it well at the DIDA Future Travel Innovation Challenge. Their project showed how student entrepreneurship could convert industry challenges into working solutions. They achieved this by using artificial intelligence with community-focused design, creating a model that is practical for travel agents, measurable for corporate clients, and fairer for local providers. This has equal importance for students. Such competitions develop students into teamwork and product design, give them presentation skills, and make them a part of industry networks, at the same time showing the universities in supporting innovation starting from the first stages of study.

As per Skoobuzz, this achievement should be seen not merely as a mark of student success but as clear evidence of how higher education in the UK can play a vital role in addressing global challenges. With sustained support from stakeholders, innovation contests of this nature will serve as guiding instruments for reshaping the future of travel and as a spark to inspire the next generation of leaders.

FAQs

1. What is the DIDA Future Travel Innovation Challenge?

The DIDA Future Travel Innovation Challenge is a national competition designed to identify new ideas in travel technology. It brings together students from UK universities to create solutions for sustainable tourism, digital innovation, and industry challenges.

2. How did UCL first-year students win the DIDA travel challenge?

Three first-year undergraduates from UCL – Joelle Roth, Abdullah Malik, and Zane Egiebade – won by presenting the Dida Sustainable Travel Ecosystem. Their idea combined AI-powered hotel verification, a green itinerary builder, an impact dashboard, and a community portal. Judges praised the project for addressing both demand and supply in sustainable travel.

3. What prize did UCL students receive from DIDA Travel?

The winning team received £2,000 and a fully funded study tour to DIDA’s headquarters in Shenzhen, China. This prize recognised their achievement and gave them international exposure to the travel technology sector.

4. Can UCL students pitch to global travel tech companies?

Yes. By competing in the challenge, UCL students gained the opportunity to pitch directly to senior leaders of DIDA, including the CEO, CMO, and Heads of Product and ESG. This shows that students can present their ideas to global travel technology companies at an early stage in their careers.

5. Why does DIDA Travel run innovation challenges for universities?

DIDA Travel runs these challenges to discover fresh ideas, support sustainable tourism, and connect with young innovators. The contests also help universities encourage entrepreneurship, while giving students practical experience and career opportunities in the travel technology sector.