From Bolivia to Sri Lanka: Meet the 10 Finalists of the 2026 Social Entrepreneurs in Tourism Competition

The finalists are in. Ten social enterprises from Bolivia, Malawi, Egypt, the Philippines, the Czech Republic, Sweden, Rwanda, Uganda, Nepal and Sri Lanka have been selected as finalists in the 2026 Social Entrepreneurs in Tourism Competition.

This year the competition received 238 applications from 74 countries, making it the most global edition yet. Behind every submission is a person with a vision for a better, more just tourism industry. The 10 finalists stood out for bold, community-rooted solutions that are making tourism more inclusive, sustainable and socially just.

All 10 finalists now enter a 6-week mentorship phase (28 September to 9 November), working one-on-one with dedicated mentors to strengthen their ventures. They will then pitch at the Final Pitch Contest and Award Ceremony on 23 November, livestreamed worldwide. Register to watch online.

The 2026 SET Competition is supported by Amadeus, Travel Massive, ITB Berlin, Lufthansa City Center, WIIF, Neusta Destination One, Social Innovation Academy (SINA), Tourism Cares, FutureTravel, Social Impact Award, Social Enterprise Thailand and the Eberswalde University for Sustainable Development.

The finalists compete in two tracks, with winners awarded in each:

• Launch Track: for early-stage ventures in the ideation phase that don’t yet have a registered company and are looking for guidance and structure.
• Growth Track: for ventures that already have a registered company and a clear business model, and are ready to scale their impact with expert input.

Now, let’s meet the finalists!

Launch Track finalists

Five early-stage ventures turning bold ideas into community-rooted tourism businesses.

Ampuy (Bolivia) — Stephanie Guarachi Ayala

Ampuy is a destination management company that connects Indigenous communities with researchers and student travellers, keeping academic knowledge local and directing tourism income to artisans, guides and homestay families.

Chipatso Recycling Center (Malawi) — Ilia Carson-Letelier

Chipatso Recycling Center is a community recycling and cultural tourism project that turns household waste into crafts and art, and supports education and nutrition for nearly 60 learners.

SOCYT (Egypt) — Salma Osman

SOCYT is a conscious travel platform that turns community initiatives in Egypt and Cyprus into bookable, measurable experiences, linking travellers with NGOs, artisans and local businesses.

TahaK: Tahanan sa Kalikasan (Philippines) — Jovit C. Camata and team

TahaK is an eco-wellness tourism brand and booking platform in Quezon Province that revives traditional Filipino healing and creates income for local healers, women and artisans. The team is Jovit C. Camata, David Apigo, Jeanwie Buhalog, Jiezel Costuna, Mark Ella, Eliza Margallo and Buhawie Santos.

Mancub (Czech Republic) — Alix Guillard

Mancub is a proposed cooperative in which small tourism creators jointly own and maintain their own digital booking tools, instead of relying on large platforms.

Growth Track finalists

Five established social enterprises ready to scale their impact.

Xperience Stockholm (Sweden) — Francisca Leonardo

Xperience Stockholm is an inclusive, majority women-led micro-enterprise that designs community-based experiences for visitors and creates quality tourism jobs for neurodivergent and underrepresented talent.

Red Rocks Initiative for Sustainable Development (Rwanda) — Bakunzi Gregory

Red Rocks Initiative is a national network of community-owned eco-tourism hubs that connects conservation, cultural heritage and inclusive economic development in rural areas.

Joint Indigenous Tourism Hub (Uganda) — Roice Bwambale Kalengyo

Joint Indigenous Tourism Hub is a platform linking ten local organisations in the Rwenzori Mountains for product development, market access and capacity building, rooted in Indigenous knowledge and conservation.

3 Sisters Adventure Trekking (Nepal) — Lucky, Dicky and Nicky Karki Chhetri

3 Sisters Adventure Trekking is a women-led social enterprise, operating since 1994, that trains and employs female trekking guides and challenges gender barriers in the industry.

Nagenahiru Environmental Learning Center (Sri Lanka) — Sajeewa Emmanuel

Nagenahiru Environmental Learning Center is a community-based tourism initiative at Madampa Lake that trains local youth as nature guides, supports fishers, artisans and women’s cooperatives, and works to restore mangroves and wetlands.

Congratulations to all the finalists! We’re looking forward to seeing you pitch in November.

Also recognised: 20 shortlisted projects

With so many strong entries this year, the competition is also recognising 20 additional projects with shortlist honours. They won’t be pitching in the final, but each one stood out among the 238 applications and deserves a mention.

• Launch Track: Enrrutadores (Mexico), Echoes in Between: Living Archive Tourism Penang (Malaysia), Voices of the Land (Kenya), Wonder Ventures (Cambodia), NODE: Network for Open Destination Experiences (Indonesia), XenDirekt (Rwanda), The Rooting (Spain), Safe Trail (Botswana), Ruta de las Chacras Trevelin (Argentina), NUN Eco Tourism (South Africa)
• Growth Track: Trip Hive (Tunisia), KISEKI (Rwanda), SEE Turtles (USA / Costa Rica), Equera (USA), Camino Wayúu (Colombia), ECPC Travel (USA), Tropical Trekking (Vietnam), Karamoja Climate Peace Tourism Initiative (Uganda), The Travel Better Project (Australia), SmartGuest (Spain / South Africa)

Learn more about the shortlisted projects

Want to see the finalists pitch? Join the Award Ceremony online on 23 November!

Watch all 10 finalists pitch live at the Final Pitch Contest and Award Ceremony, livestreamed worldwide. Register to watch online and be part of this growing movement for impact-driven tourism.