What Trends Drive Startups in 2023?
MT Lab startups are innovating in the tourism industry, focusing on sustainable mobility, well-being, immersion, video marketing, and optimization of online presence.
MT Lab startups are innovating in the tourism industry, focusing on sustainable mobility, well-being, immersion, video marketing, and optimization of online presence.
Sustainable mobility, well-being, immersion, video marketing, travel agency with a local flavour, optimisation of online presence… these are the themes that inspire MT Lab startups.
Every year, since 2017, the major partners of the MT Lab (in French) identify innovation themes to prioritise, from which they select the startups of the incubator. This process allows these players to detect the stakes and predominant trends. Here are some major topics that stand out, in light of the choices that guided the selection of the winter 2023 cohort.
By its nature, tourism generates many trips, which leads to significant Greenhouse Gas Emissions (GHGs). The duty to turn to active transport (e.g. walking, cycling), collective transport (e.g. bus, train, metro) and to increase the rate of vehicle electrification no longer needs to be proven.
According to McKinsey's industry analysis, shared mobility could grow rapidly over the next decade.
Shared mobility (e.g. carsharing) is also becoming an attractive option in the context of reducing GHGs. According to consulting firm McKinsey & Company, the three trends driving shared mobility are:
At the MT Lab, a startup is adding a solution to the field of possibilities in shared transportation: TaxyMatch. As its name suggests, it allows people who make a similar journey to share a taxi.
Travellers' desire and need to connect with themselves, with others, with nature, with a place and its culture, were the subject of an entire section of the Cahier Tendances 2023 (in French) of the Transat Chair in Tourism. At MT Lab, this translates into the selection of four startups that gravitate around this theme.
Many reports (e.g. Booking, Expedia, Hotels.com and Vrbo, American Express, etc.) announcing 2023 trends have mentioned travellers’ great interest for experiences that promote various types of connections, with a view to well-being. According to the Global Wellness Institute, this type of tourism is expected to grow by an average of 21% per year until 2025.
The definition of well-being is expanding and how consumers experience it takes various forms, leaving room for a multitude of possibilities for companies wishing to position themselves in this area. Here are two examples of startups that stand out in the sector.
Paysages is a multimedia creation studio specialising in immersive and contemplative experiences. Their offer consists of enhancing the ambient atmosphere of a place by providing visual and sound effects that generate a feeling of peace and harmony with their audience. The following video presents a project carried out for the Monastère des Augustines, a contemplative video work inviting you to slow down and soak up the spirit of the place.
On the other hand, Sérénité sonore combines music and well-being. The company offers concerts in suspended chairs in an atypical venue in Montreal and also in the forest, under the stars. The startup has also designed a digital trail, deployed largely at Parc Marie-Victorin in Longueuil, consisting of six sound stops with three distinct musical installations: tree-lyres, tree-xylo and rhythmic bench. Through an app, users are guided by the voice and harp of Annabelle Renzo.
For more than a decade, augmented reality (AR) (in French) has been well integrated into the amusement and attractions world. But interest in this technology has gradually waned. The arrival of the metaverse shook up the universe of mixed reality – virtual reality (VR) and AR – and had the consequence of reactivating interest in digital immersive experiences and, in this case, AR. Its advantage: it does not require the use of a VR headset, which makes it more accessible.
With its 360ELYSIUM solution, the startup MYTHOLOGI allows users to create and participate in interactive AR experiences. Its technology promotes connection to places and to others through discovery and social gaming. It may incorporate gamification in the journey of a tourist visit, create VIP activation zones using AR during festivals or set up collaborative workshops from AR boards at conferences or business conventions.
Storytelling remains a powerful tool to connect visitors with the destination, its history, its territory and its inhabitants.
Using technology (web platform and mobile app), Mia shares the story of communities by creating an immersive experience for users. With QR codes, travellers can access content on-site and immerse themselves in the places they pass through.
Maintaining an online presence has long been a necessity for tourism businesses. However, a large proportion of organisations in Quebec still cannot catch up digitally and manage their presence on different channels (e.g. website, social media, profile on external sites, etc.).
This is where Dahub’s (in French) solution positions itself, an online presence optimisation platform, which keeps all of a company's data on the web up-to-date. Its service centralises information and then takes care of automatically updating the data on the channels used by the organisation.
According to a survey of marketers conducted by Statista in November 2022, a large proportion of respondents stream videos on YouTube (90%), Facebook (86%) and TikTok (35%). The influence of the latter should continue to generate interest in short-form videos in 2023.
Yiqqi is a collaborative solution that facilitates the creation of videos. Producers (e.g. a company) first develop a scenario, then they insert the desired music and special effects. Afterwards, they invite the general public to participate by adding a video to the appropriate scene. Once the content has been validated by the producer, Yiqqi makes sure to generate one or more videos.
Offering more niche, personalised and off-the-beaten-track experiences is one of the trends observed in the travel agency sector in recent years. In constant competition with the offer available online, they rely on the good relationships they have been able to develop with their customers and also on the ‘turnkey’ and ‘worry-free’ aspects from which they benefit.
Voyages Latitude (in French) is an incoming agency specialising in creating and offering local experiences. It offers turnkey, standard or à la carte products, such as guided tours, micro-adventures and packages. Its mystery getaways are a unique concept in Quebec, which promotes the discovery of tourism businesses less known to the public and the realisation of local micro-experiences.
Experimentation is part of the DNA of startups (in French). It is with great creativity and agility that they innovate to face the challenges and respond to the trends of today and tomorrow!
This article is published in partnership with Transat Chair in Tourism at the Université du Québec à Montréal, School of Management (ESG-UQAM). The French original version of this article can be found in the Cahier Tendances 2023; we have provided an English translation.
Sustainable mobility, well-being, immersion, video marketing, travel agency with a local flavour, optimisation of online presence… these are the themes that inspire MT Lab startups.
Every year, since 2017, the major partners of the MT Lab (in French) identify innovation themes to prioritise, from which they select the startups of the incubator. This process allows these players to detect the stakes and predominant trends. Here are some major topics that stand out, in light of the choices that guided the selection of the winter 2023 cohort.
By its nature, tourism generates many trips, which leads to significant Greenhouse Gas Emissions (GHGs). The duty to turn to active transport (e.g. walking, cycling), collective transport (e.g. bus, train, metro) and to increase the rate of vehicle electrification no longer needs to be proven.
According to McKinsey's industry analysis, shared mobility could grow rapidly over the next decade.
Shared mobility (e.g. carsharing) is also becoming an attractive option in the context of reducing GHGs. According to consulting firm McKinsey & Company, the three trends driving shared mobility are:
At the MT Lab, a startup is adding a solution to the field of possibilities in shared transportation: TaxyMatch. As its name suggests, it allows people who make a similar journey to share a taxi.
Travellers' desire and need to connect with themselves, with others, with nature, with a place and its culture, were the subject of an entire section of the Cahier Tendances 2023 (in French) of the Transat Chair in Tourism. At MT Lab, this translates into the selection of four startups that gravitate around this theme.
Many reports (e.g. Booking, Expedia, Hotels.com and Vrbo, American Express, etc.) announcing 2023 trends have mentioned travellers’ great interest for experiences that promote various types of connections, with a view to well-being. According to the Global Wellness Institute, this type of tourism is expected to grow by an average of 21% per year until 2025.
The definition of well-being is expanding and how consumers experience it takes various forms, leaving room for a multitude of possibilities for companies wishing to position themselves in this area. Here are two examples of startups that stand out in the sector.
Paysages is a multimedia creation studio specialising in immersive and contemplative experiences. Their offer consists of enhancing the ambient atmosphere of a place by providing visual and sound effects that generate a feeling of peace and harmony with their audience. The following video presents a project carried out for the Monastère des Augustines, a contemplative video work inviting you to slow down and soak up the spirit of the place.
On the other hand, Sérénité sonore combines music and well-being. The company offers concerts in suspended chairs in an atypical venue in Montreal and also in the forest, under the stars. The startup has also designed a digital trail, deployed largely at Parc Marie-Victorin in Longueuil, consisting of six sound stops with three distinct musical installations: tree-lyres, tree-xylo and rhythmic bench. Through an app, users are guided by the voice and harp of Annabelle Renzo.
For more than a decade, augmented reality (AR) (in French) has been well integrated into the amusement and attractions world. But interest in this technology has gradually waned. The arrival of the metaverse shook up the universe of mixed reality – virtual reality (VR) and AR – and had the consequence of reactivating interest in digital immersive experiences and, in this case, AR. Its advantage: it does not require the use of a VR headset, which makes it more accessible.
With its 360ELYSIUM solution, the startup MYTHOLOGI allows users to create and participate in interactive AR experiences. Its technology promotes connection to places and to others through discovery and social gaming. It may incorporate gamification in the journey of a tourist visit, create VIP activation zones using AR during festivals or set up collaborative workshops from AR boards at conferences or business conventions.
Storytelling remains a powerful tool to connect visitors with the destination, its history, its territory and its inhabitants.
Using technology (web platform and mobile app), Mia shares the story of communities by creating an immersive experience for users. With QR codes, travellers can access content on-site and immerse themselves in the places they pass through.
Maintaining an online presence has long been a necessity for tourism businesses. However, a large proportion of organisations in Quebec still cannot catch up digitally and manage their presence on different channels (e.g. website, social media, profile on external sites, etc.).
This is where Dahub’s (in French) solution positions itself, an online presence optimisation platform, which keeps all of a company's data on the web up-to-date. Its service centralises information and then takes care of automatically updating the data on the channels used by the organisation.
According to a survey of marketers conducted by Statista in November 2022, a large proportion of respondents stream videos on YouTube (90%), Facebook (86%) and TikTok (35%). The influence of the latter should continue to generate interest in short-form videos in 2023.
Yiqqi is a collaborative solution that facilitates the creation of videos. Producers (e.g. a company) first develop a scenario, then they insert the desired music and special effects. Afterwards, they invite the general public to participate by adding a video to the appropriate scene. Once the content has been validated by the producer, Yiqqi makes sure to generate one or more videos.
Offering more niche, personalised and off-the-beaten-track experiences is one of the trends observed in the travel agency sector in recent years. In constant competition with the offer available online, they rely on the good relationships they have been able to develop with their customers and also on the ‘turnkey’ and ‘worry-free’ aspects from which they benefit.
Voyages Latitude (in French) is an incoming agency specialising in creating and offering local experiences. It offers turnkey, standard or à la carte products, such as guided tours, micro-adventures and packages. Its mystery getaways are a unique concept in Quebec, which promotes the discovery of tourism businesses less known to the public and the realisation of local micro-experiences.
Experimentation is part of the DNA of startups (in French). It is with great creativity and agility that they innovate to face the challenges and respond to the trends of today and tomorrow!
This article is published in partnership with Transat Chair in Tourism at the Université du Québec à Montréal, School of Management (ESG-UQAM). The French original version of this article can be found in the Cahier Tendances 2023; we have provided an English translation.
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