LocationsAI Hackathon Inspires Innovative Solutions for Sustainable Tourism in Angola
July 27, 2026
Hackathon Closing Ceremony
From promoting tourist destinations to preserving cultural heritage and strengthening community-based tourism, young Angolans have turned to artificial intelligence to develop innovative solutions for some of the key challenges facing sustainable tourism in Angola. The ideas emerged from the Artificial Intelligence Hackathon for Sustainable Tourism, and three of them will now receive support to continue their development.
Organized by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), in partnership with the Ministry of Tourism, the UNDP International Center for Private Sector Development (ICPSD), and 42 Luanda, the initiative brought together young innovators, including graduates of the Frontier Tech Leaders Angola program.
Through this training program, the UNDP equipped young Angolans with skills in cutting-edge technologies, such as machine learning and artificial intelligence, which they have now put to use in the service of sustainable tourism.
Over the course of four days, participants, organized into multidisciplinary teams and guided by national and international mentors, applied artificial intelligence, data science, and geospatial technologies to develop prototypes capable of enhancing the visitor experience, promoting tourist destinations, supporting community-based tourism, highlighting natural and cultural heritage, and contributing to more sustainable management of the sector.
The solutions addressed specific challenges identified by the Ministry of Tourism and the initiative’s partners, demonstrating technology’s potential to drive sustainable development in Angola.
More than just a technology competition, the hackathon served as a space for learning, collaboration, and experimentation, allowing participants to strengthen their technical skills and explore the potential of emerging technologies to address the challenges of sustainable development.
The initiative also sought to bring young talent into the innovation ecosystem by promoting collaboration among public institutions, experts, and industry partners.
At the conclusion of the event, three winning teams received financial support to continue developing the prototypes they presented. This support represents an opportunity to refine, test, and consolidate the solutions developed during the hackathon, encouraging their evolution into initiatives with the potential for practical application and impact in the tourism sector.
“Our goal is for this Hackathon not to end today. We want the solutions developed to continue to evolve, be refined, tested, and transformed into initiatives capable of strengthening the tourism sector, supporting communities, improving the visitor experience, and addressing the country’s needs,” the UNDP emphasized during the closing ceremony.
Through initiatives like this, the UNDP reaffirms its commitment to promoting innovation and the development of digital skills among Angolan youth, creating opportunities for emerging technologies to help address development challenges and support more inclusive, resilient, and sustainable tourism in Angola.
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