The University of Johannesburg (UJ) has cemented its status as a leader in applied innovation, with students from the School of Tourism and Hospitality (STH) clinching both first and second place at the highly competitive G20 Tourism Hackathon.
Third-year Bachelor of Tourism Management and Development students, Teagon Spykerman and Inganathi Zimela, were part of the winning teams at the event, which was focused on generating cutting-edge AI solutions to drive job creation and sustainable growth across the global tourism sector. The hackathon brought together 46 youth representing 21 institutions of higher learning.
UJ stood out as the only university with students represented in the top two teams, a feat that highlights the quality of innovative thinking within the STH. The students were mentored to develop effective prototypes and applications supporting smart tourism, rural inclusion, and cultural heritage innovation.
Dr. Tracy Daniels, Academic Head for Hospitality, expressed immense pride: “What an incredible job. The University of Johannesburg is the only university with students in the top two teams. An amazing, amazing achievement.”
First Place: The Hologram Hub
Teagon Spykerman was a key member of The Catalysts team, which secured the first-place prize of R175,000. Their winning concept, Hologram Hub, offers a sophisticated digital platform designed to empower rural communities. The solution enables these communities to profile and preserve their unique cultural heritage by telling their own stories, thereby attracting tourists directly to their locations. Spykerman shared that participating in the competition has given her that all important confidence boost: “Being part of the G20 Hackathon has been a truly eye-opening and incredible experience. This opportunity has taught me how to work better in teams, but more importantly, it has opened my eyes and made me believe in myself more, and I’ll forever be grateful for that,” she said.
Second Place: Map My Biz
Inganathi Zimela’s team, Map My Biz, secured a strong second place with a prize of R140,000.
Their ingenious solution directly addresses the challenge of visibility for local entrepreneurs. Map My Biz combines offline accredited learning with AI-driven support and a global smart map, ensuring that rural entrepreneurs become visible, trusted, and adequately supported by international and domestic tourists. Zimela said as a tourism student, the competition allowed him to grow a mindset leaning towards innovation when it comes to issues of global tourism.
“Being part of the first ever G20 Tourism Hackathon South Africa was an inspiring and eye-opening experience for me. It challenged me to think with an innovative mindset about global tourism issues that need to be solved urgently, I got the privilege to collaborate with diverse brilliant minds and embrace innovation as a tool for real sustainable global impact. After everything I walked away with new knowledge, stronger problem-solving skills, a winning concept, new friends and the confidence that young future leaders can truly shape the future of tourism,” he said.
Following their success, both teams earned the extraordinary opportunity to present their solutions at the G20 Ministerial Summit, showcasing their UJ-developed innovations directly to Tourism Ministers from G20 countries.
Professor Diane Abrahams, Director of the STH, congratulated the students and their mentor, stating, “Well done to Akhona Melani for the guidance to the students and congratulations to Teagon and Inganathi, we are super proud of you.”
