72-Hour Tourism Tech Innovation Challenge

The Acting Deputy Vice-Chancellor Research Innovation and Outreach representing the Vice-Chancellor officially opened a 72-Hour Tourism Tech Innovation Challenge. The challenge is running from 11th to 13th March.

The challenge is organised by the School of Tourism, Hospitality, and Leisure Studies drawing a diverse crowd of participants from all departments within the faculty.

This intensive 72-hour physical hackathon is a collaborative effort between the University, Start-up School Kenya, and the UK Kenya Tech Hub.

Day one saw students diving straight into the “ideation phase,” utilizing the Think Playbook methodology to transform theoretical concepts into practical, venture-backed tech solutions for the tourism and conservation sectors.

This multidisciplinary teamwork was evident in the breakout sessions, where students combined their expertise in hospitality management, travel operations, and environmental studies to begin building prototypes that address real-world industry gaps.

The remaining two days will focus on mentorship and technical refinement of the thematic areas, including sustainable conservation tools and experiential tourism technologies.

The University is incredibly proud of the proactive “innovation spirit” shown by Students.