2026 Tourism Hackathon: Minister Tasks Young Innovators with Closing the Digital Divide in Travel
Speaking at the University of Cape Town, Minister Patricia de Lille launched the 2026/27 Tourism Hackathon Challenge, sending 50 students to design online booking, virtual tour and payment solutions for small tourism operators ahead of finals in the first quarter of 2027.
Cape Town — South Africa‘s Minister of Tourism Patricia de Lille has launched the 2026/27 Tourism Hackathon Challenge at the University of Cape Town (UCT), convening 50 students to build digital tools that help rural and township tourism businesses reach new customers.
The initiative targets a persistent gap in the sector: while travellers increasingly discover, plan and book travel online, many small operators remain outside that economy. The hackathon asks students to close it.
“The digital economy is changing how people discover, plan and book travel. It is also changing how tourism businesses reach customers and compete,” De Lille said at the launch. “Our responsibility is to ensure that rural and township businesses can participate in that economy and share in the growth it makes possible.”
Booking Tools, Virtual Tours and Payments
Building on the inaugural 2025 G20 Tourism Hackathon, this year’s challenge is themed “Community-Based Tourism and Rural Inclusion.” Teams drawn from public and private universities offering tourism and hospitality qualifications will develop and test prototypes addressing the practical barriers small operators face.
The brief spans three areas: online booking tools for local guides, homestays and village experiences; virtual tours that showcase lesser-known destinations; and digital payment solutions designed for small operators. De Lille urged participants to involve local operators early rather than designing in isolation, and to let their feedback shape the prototypes.
“Tourism is economic policy. The decisions we make about how we develop and promote our destinations directly affect where investment goes, where jobs are created, and who has the opportunity to build a business,” she said. “As more of the visitor journey takes place online, access to digital tools and markets must be part of those decisions.”
A Three-Year Partnership with UCT
The hackathon supports two priorities of the Tourism Growth Partnership Plan: tourism product development and job creation. It sits within the department’s three-year strategic partnership with UCT, which contributes expertise in design thinking, innovation, entrepreneurship and financial technology.
UCT Vice-Chancellor Professor Mosa Moshabela said the partnership offers “an important platform for collaboration and skills development,” but cautioned that the competition itself is not the finish line.
“Ultimately, the success of this initiative will not only be measured by the ideas presented during the competition, but also by our ability to nurture promising innovations and create pathways for their further development and potential implementation,” he said.
What Happens Next
Following the launch, teams will develop working prototypes for a final pitching and awards event planned for the first quarter of 2027. The Department and UCT say they will explore opportunities to support the top three finalists through relevant innovation and entrepreneurship development programmes.
Implementation partners alongside the Department and UCT include CATHSSETA, the Centre for Public Service Innovation, Future Leaders Challenge and Geekculture.
