Greek Startup ‘Clio Muse Tours’ Among 25 Winners of UNWTO’s SDGs Competition

Clio Muse Tours Founders Giannis Nikolopoulos, Daphne Tsevrenir and Andreas Fatouros.

Greek startup Clio Muse Tours is among the 25 winners of the SDGs Global Startup Competition that was organized by the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) with the aim to recognize sustainable and responsible tourism practices.

Supported by the United Nations Innovation Network, the competition attracted some 10,000 initial proposals. From these, the jury chose 25 winners from 18 countries, highlighting the array of tourism talent in every global region and its widespread ability to contribute to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Clio Muse Tours was awarded for the eighth SDG – Decent work and economic growth.

Launched in 2014, Clio Muse has developed advanced technology tools and content for thematic tours focusing on gastronomy, architecture and dark tourism, among many others. It has developed over 300 virtual tours, offering tourism and culture professionals the opportunity to create audio and virtual tours of landmark sites, as well as city walks and roadtrips.

“We have worked hard for the development of a business model that empowers tourism and culture professionals but is also sustainable for tourism. We are certain that this business model can be reproduced in any country and help professionals grow through the unlimited potential of digital tours,” Clio Muse Co-founder and CEO Andreas Fatouros said.

The competition’s winning startups will be given expert support and backing to develop further, including guided mentorship programs from Amadeus, Google, IE University and FarCo, and tailored mentorship sessions from Mastercard and ClarkeModet.

Goals 8, 12 and 14 specifically mention the role of tourism.

“The winners show the power of new ideas for transforming our sector. By embracing innovation, we can realize this potential and build a better future for people and planet through tourism. I congratulate them all and look forward to seeing these startups grow and deliver positive change,” said UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili.

The winners will also be invited to take part in a pitching event, to be hosted by Wakalua within the framework of Spain’s International Tourism Fair (FITUR).