A New Era for Spain’s Tourism: The TUI Futureshapers Initiative
Spain’s tourism sector is at a pivotal moment. In 2025, the country welcomed a staggering 96.8 million international visitors, solidifying its status as one of the world’s premier travel destinations. However, this success brings challenges, particularly in densely populated areas where the influx of tourists can strain local resources and infrastructure. With around 80% of global travelers flocking to just 10% of destinations, Spain faces significant issues like rising housing costs, overwhelmed public services, and growing local discontent. Compounding these challenges are the impacts of climate change, which exacerbate water scarcity and waste management issues.
Addressing Tourism Challenges through Innovation
In response to these pressing concerns, the TUI Care Foundation, in collaboration with development agency Target 8.9 and Wayra Telefonica, has launched the TUI Futureshapers Spain initiative. This two-year acceleration program aims to empower young entrepreneurs and startups to devise innovative, green, and digital solutions tailored for the tourism sector. By fostering collaboration among universities, innovation centers, and tourism businesses, the initiative seeks to transform Spain’s tourism landscape into a sustainable and resilient ecosystem.
Three Pathways to Innovation
The TUI Futureshapers program operates through three distinct pathways designed to nurture innovation from the initial idea to a market-ready solution.
Ignite Path: From Concept to Prototype
The Ignite Path is tailored for young entrepreneurs at the nascent stages of their ventures. This pathway focuses on helping participants transition from concept to prototype. By partnering with local universities and innovation hubs, the program aims to build a network of talent dedicated to addressing specific tourism challenges, such as overtourism and climate resilience.
Participants will engage in six practical training modules that enhance their digital skills and familiarize them with vertical technologies. The culmination of this path is a two-day tourism hackathon, where around 50 young innovators will collaborate with mentors to develop minimum viable products. The goal is to produce at least eight prototypes that can be further refined and tested.
Grow Path: Refining Early-Stage Startups
The Grow Path is designed for early-stage startups that have already established a product-market fit and are ready to integrate their solutions into the tourism value chain. At least nine startups will receive personalized advisory support aimed at refining their business models, with a strong emphasis on environmental and social sustainability.
Networking activities and market-linkage events will connect these startups with potential partners, clients, and investors within the tourism ecosystem. A final demo day will provide participants the opportunity to pitch their solutions to key stakeholders, with three finalists selected to advance to the next stage.
Scale Path: Preparing for Investment
The Scale Path focuses on technology adoption, piloting, and investment readiness for the most mature ventures. TUI Futureshapers Spain will facilitate partnerships with tourism stakeholders willing to pilot innovative solutions, allowing for real-world testing in various destinations and businesses.
Each of the three selected startups will receive tailored technical assistance, including customized roadmaps that outline strategies for scaling their solutions and maximizing impact. By the end of the program, at least one startup is expected to be well-positioned to attract venture capital or other investment opportunities, paving the way for full implementation of their solutions.
Impact on the Community and Economy
The TUI Futureshapers initiative is set to directly support 200 individuals through technical assistance, create or maintain 25 jobs, and organize 15 collaborative events that foster innovation across Spain’s tourism ecosystem. By nurturing ideas at every stage—from early concept to scalable solution—the program promotes a tourism model that leverages digital tools and green innovation to alleviate pressure on popular destinations, strengthen local economies, and enhance community resilience.
A Global Vision
This initiative is part of the broader TUI Futureshapers Programme, which empowers passionate individuals in tourism destinations worldwide to transform social and environmental challenges into entrepreneurial opportunities. The program is active in various countries, including Cape Verde, Jamaica, Morocco, Namibia, Greece, Tunisia, Egypt, and many more, showcasing a global commitment to sustainable tourism practices.
Through TUI Futureshapers Spain, the future of tourism in Spain looks promising, as it embraces innovation and sustainability to create a more balanced and equitable travel experience for all.
