Social entrepreneurs bring the world together and reach for the stars

Prof Dr Claudia Brözel, initiator of the Social Entrepreneurship Competition in Tourism, which was held for the fifth time last year, was convinced that life is not a contest in which one person wins and the other loses. Ideally, good ideas had the potential to further everyone’s aims, she said. At an ITB Berlin panel discussion on Thursday she answered questions from Kevin O'Shaughnessy from CityHook. Other participants included Cecilia Serravalle, Social Impact Manager at Amadeus, one of the competition's sponsors, as well as two of last year's winners: Sonal Asgotraa from Astrostays and Mirko Cipollone, Managing Director of Appennini for all.

240 applications from 52 countries

The initiator of the competition, which is divided into a launch track and a growth track, reported that 240 applications from 52 countries were received last year. This was also made possible because participants could apply online from anywhere in the world, she said. "We are expanding from year to year, our platform is growing. Social entrepreneurship is more than a trend, it's a movement," said Prof Dr. Claudia Brözel. She emphasised that the event was not about competing with each other and that prize money was not the decisive factor. Support and mentoring during the application process were much more important – as was the networking resulting from the competition.

Travel as a catalyst for positive change

Cecilia Serravalle from Amadeus was convinced that travel and tourism were catalysts for positive change in the world. "We believe that entrepreneurs who want to make a difference are the backbone of the industry - they make travelling meaningful for everyone involved," she said. In addition to the Social Entrepreneurship Competition in Tourism, her company also supports the Travel For Impact project, which has promoted around 120 entrepreneurs over the past four years. This year, 25 places are available again and social entrepreneurs can apply now.

Award winners from India and Italy

Sonal Asgotraa from India and Mirko Cipollone from Italy showed that the sky is not the limit for entrepreneurs, and that they can even reach for the stars. Last year, Sonal Asgotraa won the Growth Track with her Astrostays project. The idea was to combine stargazing and cultural dialogue with the locals, mostly at an altitude of 4,000 metres in the Himalayas. The peaks which Mirko Cipollone, winner of the Growth Track Public Choice award, makes strenuous efforts to climb with disabled people and numerous helpers are not quite as high, as they are not in the Himalayas but in the Italian Apennines. However, with his company Appennini for All he has already been able to fulfil a genuine lifelong dream for many disabled people.