At the end of September, the winners of the idea competition “Mission Green: Your vision of the smart (re)use of resources in tourism” on the IdeaSpace idea platform from Salzburg Research were presented awards on Schanzengelände in Bischofshofen. Sustainability in tourism has reached a new dimension with the ideas competition organized by Regionalverband Pongau and LAG Lebens.Wert Pongau-Tennengau!

Tons of food thrown away and mountains of laundry that have to be washed every day are an everyday problem in tourist regions such as Pongau. With the help of digital technology, the toursim industry can be made more sustainable, energy-efficient, innovative, and service-oriented. In the “Mission Green” ideas competition on the IdeaSpace idea platform from Salzburg Research, creative and innovative minds were invited to submit ideas on how digital technologies can make tourism more responsible.

Concrete, practicable solutions to the following questions were looked for:

• Food resource: What could (digital) solutions look like for using surplus food elsewhere or avoiding it? What innovative approaches are there to develop new products from unused food or to make them usable in other sectors?
• Textile resource: How can the upcycling of discarded textiles be promoted? How can textile waste be prevented?
• (Awareness) education: What initiatives could bring the population, companies, and their employees or tourists closer to the responsible use of resources?
• Other resources: What smart ideas can you think of for other resources in tourism, such as energy, water, or topics such as mobility or waste management? For example, ideas for visitor flow management at tourist hotspots, smart use of electricity in hotels, intelligent lighting in the tourism business, smart waste disposal in restaurants, etc.

The best 7 ideas were awarded:

Many creative minds have submitted their innovative approaches on the topic of food waste, textile recycling, and many more. In the end, the seven best ideas nominated by an expert jury and the most popular idea from the community voting “Tourismus Pet Coin” were chosen. These were rewarded at an awards ceremony on 26.09.2024 under a circus dome in Bischofshofen on Schanzengelände.

The following winners were chosen:

1. Das Zero-Wast Cocktail- und Kaffeebar-Erlebnis (Stefan F.)
2. Die Küchenschlacht – Dreckig mit sauberem Gewissen (Doris S.)
3. BergWind Energy – Mit Seilbahnen außerhalb der Ski Saison Strom erzeugen (BergWind Energy)
4. Mission Green – (Awareness) Education (Karim)
5. Grüne Architektur: Nachhaltigkeit im Fokus (basti.scnr)
6. Smarte Matratzen – Nachhaltige Überwachung für optimale Hygiene und Komfort (Walter B.)
7. Nachhaltiges Carnivore Dining – Neudefinition der Speisewahl im Gastgewerbe (Stefan F.)

In-depth workshop: Ideas in practice

Two winning ideas (Zero Waste Cocktail Bar and Die Küchenschlacht) were further developed by around 25 participants on Saturday, November 9th, as part of an in-depth ideas workshop at the Samrt Tourism Data Jam at GAST. Regionalverband Pongau and LEADER-Region Lebens.Wert.Pongau-Tennengau will work together with the winners on the practical implementation of these ideas.

Congratulations to the winners and good luck with further ideas!

Salzburg Research’s IdeaSpace ideas platform is all about your ideas! Help us solve questions and problems by submitting your ideas, working on ideas with other creative minds, and getting honest feedback. We welcome everyone, because good ideas know no boundaries! Discover the power of the network that connects you with like-minded people, experts and exciting institutions and companies.
Join in and shape the future with us in the IdeaSpace!