National, regional HEI winners awarded for Tourism Start-Up Challenge

The Department of Tourism (DOT) and Commission on Higher Education (CHED) awarded the national and regional winners of the 2025 Tourism Start-Up Challenge during an awarding ceremony held at Seda Vertis North on Tuesday.

The Tourism Start-Up Challenge (TSC) is an annual nationwide competition for college students that encourages innovative tourism-related projects aligned with the National Tourism Development Plan.

Speaking the project’s overview, Assistant Secretary Christine Joy Cari recognized educators in shaping student-innovators to engage and promote inclusive and culturally grounded tourism.

“May this challenge continue to show investing in our youth, honoring our culture and innovating with purpose,” the tourism official added. 

Under the program, three national winners representing Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao will each receive a P5-million grant to support the implementation of their proposed tourism projects while P250,000 for 17 regional winners, one per region. 

Representing Luzon, Naga College Foundation Inc. emerged as a national winner for its “Go Dare” project. In the Visayas category, Siquijor State College won for its “SiquiScan: Smart Destination Management System for Sustainable Tourism,” which aims to enhance tourism management on the island of Siquijor through digital innovation.

For Mindanao, Ateneo de Davao University secured the top award for “Kuyog,” an application designed to help travelers find and book local tour guides while serving as a digital travel companion and tourism expo platform.

Meanwhile, regional winners recognized during the ceremony included UP Asian Institute of Tourism for the National Capital Region, University of the Cordilleras for the Cordillera Administrative Region, and PHINMA - University of Pangasinan for Region I.

Other awardees were Saint Mary’s University (Region II), Aurora State College of Technology (Region III), Lyceum of the Philippines University - Cavite (Region IV-A), Occidental Mindoro State College (Region IV-B), and Central Philippine University (Region VI).

Also recognized were Cebu Normal University (Region VII), Eastern Samar State University - Guiuan Campus (Region VIII), Ateneo de Zamboanga University (Region IX), Bukidnon State University (Region X), Santa Cruz Mission School Inc. (Region XII), and Agusan del Sur State University for the CARAGA region.