The Decode Travel Hackathon, organised by Chain4Travel, made its debut in Turkey this month, bringing together over 30 travel and tech specialists at the headquarters of SAN TSG & Paximum.
From seasoned travel tech developers to blockchain enthusiasts and students, industry leaders like SAN TSG/Paximum, SunExpress, A3M Global Monitoring, Technoly/Petour (AERTiCKET Group), Juice, TripX, and TraSo participated in tackling real-world challenges in travel tech.
Chain4Travel, the organiser of the Decode Travel hackathon, is the driving force behind Camino Network, the blockchain designed and built specifically for the travel industry.
In a two-day innovation sprint, seven teams worked on solving pressing industry pain points, from fragmented systems of various industry players and inefficient payment methods to creating transparency, security, and personalization in global travel.
Camino Network is the infrastructure designed to solve these challenges. Following the showcase of Lufthansa’s blockchain integration, many Decode Travel teams also used the Camino Messenger for global travel product sourcing and distribution.
Two teams addressed the challenge of inefficient and complex micropayments in the travel industry.
Both teams presented solutions with efficient, transparent, and reliable micropayment distribution by incorporating smart contracts for automated conditional payment, multi-party disbursement, seamless settlement, and dispute resolution.
While one team redefined the upselling process in travel bookings, by creating a blockchain-based protocol on Camino Network for personal data sharing and selective disclosure among travel businesses, such as OTAs and car rental companies.
Another team worked on the privacy vs. personalization challenge addressed data privacy and GDPR compliance with a platform using Self-Sovereign Identity (SSI) principles.
Their blockchain solution gives travelers control over their digital identities and employs smart contracts for efficient and transparent bookings, enhancing data security and process efficiency.
SunExpress & Paximum (SAN TSG) also participated with teams addressing their core business challenges, streamlining distribution, and automating B2B payment processes.
The winning team however, was from TripX. It won for its travel packaging with an AI-driven solution integrated with Camino Messenger for personalised booking experiences.
Camino’s blockchain technology enabled real-time, secure data flows, and the conception of a next-gen product combination prototype facilitating faster, more engaging, and highly personalized responses for travelers.
Erol Türk, CEO of SAN TSG, said, “We aim to support the digital transformation in the sector by combining technology and tourism. Hosting Turkey’s first Web3 travel hackathon in partnership with Chain4Travel at our headquarters marks a significant milestone in shaping the future of travel technology.
He added: “We believe that this platform we offered to the participants will generate new ideas that will play a role in the digitalization of the tourism industry. Such events are a great source of excitement for us to contribute to the industry and support projects that will shape the future”.
Chain4Travel invites travel businesses worldwide to co-host hackathon initiatives in their region and drive innovation in travel tech.
Pablo Castillo, CEO of Chain4Travel, said: “We started this hackathon series for travel companies to explore blockchain’s transformative potential, gain hands-on experience, and bring sharp minds from many backgrounds and companies together.
“The solutions created during Decode in Turkey are proof that innovation on Camino Network can be realized in a matter of days.”
