Antalya Bilim University Tourism Technologies Incubation Center (TourisTech) provides tourism technology entrepreneurs and startups with shared offices, training and mentorship opportunities, providing end-to-end support they need for commercialization and scaling.
Touristech, Turkiye’s first incubation center in the tourism technologies vertical, which will start operating with the support of the Western Mediterranean Development Agency, is meeting with entrepreneurs on Friday, April 17. The support necessary for entrepreneurs and startups to commercialize and scale their ideas and products will be organized online within the scope of two different programs planned to be realized within TourisTech.
While the Pre-Incubation (TT-PRE) program will be put into use for entrepreneurs who have passed the idea stage, formed a venture team and want to transform their idea into a business model, the Acceleration (TT-ACC) program will be carried out for companies that want to expand their company, increase their commercial potential, and access investment and networking. This program will also be the first acceleration program of Antalya Entrepreneurship Ecosystem. On the 10th floor of Markantalya AVM, which is the most central point of the city, it will host entrepreneurs with its 60-person capacity shared office space, meeting rooms, internet, security, parking and secretariat facilities in 3 different independent sections within the Antalya Bilim University Campus.
Antalya Bilim University Rector Prof. Dr. Ismail Yuksek said the following about the center: “We are glad to see that the technopark we have established at Yildiz Technical University, my first rectorate, and the process we have started bears fruit today. We have commissioned our tourism technologies incubation center in order to transfer the knowledge we have gained from there to the entrepreneurship ecosystem in Antalya.” Prof. Dr. Ismail Yuksek continued his explanation as follows: “Our application was positive in the project call opened by the Western Mediterranean Development Agency to strengthen the entrepreneurship ecosystem. We continue to carry out this process with their support. Within the scope of the project, we will provide the necessary support at our center so that tourism entrepreneurs can develop sustainable business models and scale their products first locally and then globally. We aim to bring a new breath to the ecosystem.”
In his statement, TourisTech project coordinator M. Fetih Mekteplioglu emphasizes the importance of the center as follows; “The integration of technologies such as artificial intelligence, blockchain, IOT systems, augmented and virtual reality, robotic systems, which have been used in the tourism sector in recent years, has gained great importance in the tourism sector. The tourism pillar of techno-entrepreneurship, which has gained great momentum all over the world, must also be built on solid foundations. In order to contribute to this, we have established a thematic and new-generation incubation center for entrepreneurs who only produce tourism technologies. We are planning to provide support to entrepreneurs in the areas of awareness, training, mentoring and networking that they need, not only with the physical space we have created, but also with the entrepreneurship programs that we will manage within the scope of the center.”
Source: Egirisim / Prepared by Irem Yildiz