Foreign tourists enjoy cycling in Viet Hai Village, Cat Ba Island. (Photo: goodmorningcatba.com)

The elite travel startup competition, supported by the Australian Government and Asian Development Bank, includes Asia’s most prominent travel-specialised venture capitalists among its advisors.

MIST’s second prize comes with a 5,000 USD innovation grant. Ecohost enables quality tourism experiences in Vietnam’s countryside, working village-by-village to develop tours and activities while improving the capacity of rural homestays to serve international guests.
Ecohost came in second to BambooLao from Luang Prabang, Laos. BambooLao is on a mission to eliminate single-use plastics from hotels and resorts across Asia.