Lufthansa, SWISS, and Camino Drive Web3 Innovation in the Travel Industry at Frankfurt Hackathon

• It was proved during the hackathon that Web3 technologies have the ability to completely revolutionize the travel sector.
• The use cases that were presented during the hackathon revealed that these innovative methods are substantially more effective than the conventional distribution channels.

Travel tech experts developed innovative solutions that leverage blockchain and artificial intelligence at the Web3 Hackathon in Frankfurt, which was organized by Lufthansa Systems and Swiss International Air Lines (SWISS) in partnership with the Camino Network Foundation. The goal of these solutions was to make the travel industry more efficient, cost-effective, and sustainable.

Within a span of only forty-eight hours, teams from thirteen different travel and technology organizations developed effective and ready-to-use solutions. The use cases that were presented during the hackathon revealed that these innovative methods are substantially more effective than the conventional distribution channels.

Real Challenges, Real Innovation

Instead of concentrating on theoretical models, the event was primarily concerned with the practical application. The objective is to investigate new methods of distributing travel and travel products via the Camino Network, which is based on blockchain technology. New payment methods, carbon offsetting, access to expanding sales markets, and individualized group travel were among the many important themes that were discussed.

Experts from the Lufthansa Group (LHG) came together to choose the three initiatives that shown the greatest potential:

• A solution was proposed by the Unimoni team with the purpose of connecting 300,000 non-IATA travel agents in India into the Camino Network. This solution included local payment options and direct access to Lufthansa flight content. Using this method, distribution costs are greatly reduced, and new foreign markets are opened up. Additionally, there is a huge possibility for development into other areas.
• The proposal that the SWISS and Digital Hangar team came up with to improve Travel-ID via the integration of Web3 wallets was quite impressive to the jury. This concept would enable the issue, exchange, and administration of digital identities as well as real-world assets like vouchers and digital services.
• A group booking solution was created by the Hotelplan team. This solution allows passengers who are departing from various areas but are going to the same destination to book together while paying individually. This makes the booking process simpler, more expedient, and more cost-effective than it was in the past.

In addition, Carbify was selected as the “Winner of the Hearts” by the judges. Their answer illustrated how the Camino Network may contribute to the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions by offering complete traceability of compensatory efforts, all the way down to the precise geographic position of each tree that was planted.

Mickael Woelcke, project manager at SWISS and one of the hackathon’s main initiators, commented:

“Beyond the many innovative use cases developed during the hackathon, it was particularly impressive to see how the teams successfully integrated LHG flight content into their platforms in just two days. The commercial potential of this technology is promising – especially with faster and more efficient partner integration and significantly reduced distribution costs. It’s now up to the industry to carry these advances forward and turn them into sustainable, market-ready solutions.”

Pablo Castillo, CEO of Chain4Travel and initiator of the Camino Network, added:

“The hackathon clearly showed how connections that used to take months can now be established within days. Compared to traditional distribution channels, the new solutions are significantly more efficient – with up to 98% cost savings, as demonstrated by Hotelplan, and up to 50% improved sustainability, as measured by Carbify’s CO₂ analysis.”

What’s Next?

It was proved during the hackathon that Web3 technologies have the ability to completely revolutionize the travel sector. The findings shed light on the fact that B2B partners may be integrated considerably more quickly, which can ultimately improve time-to-market and reduce distribution costs as well as carbon emissions associated to information technology.

There is now an evaluation being conducted by the Lufthansa Group to see which of the hackathon innovations have the potential to be converted into tangible pilot applications. The company that started Camino, Chain4Travel, will continue to provide assistance to partners in the travel industry so that they may use Web3 technology in ways that are both relevant and practical.

Video of the event hosted by Lufthansa Systems may be seen at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n3D9-WJcgis

After the pitch session, a snapshot of participation was taken.

Unimoni, the winning team, together with another member of the jury, Tim Fischbach, who is the Head of Touristic Sales Home Markets for Lufthansa Airlines (right in the picture).

• Jury:
• Ana Jaime Agramon (Head of Digital Products & IT Portfolio, SWISS)
• Ignatz Hannak (Head of Digital Ecosystem Steering & Innovation, Lufthansa Airlines)
• Jochen Göttelmann (VP IT Lufthansa Airlines and Operations IT Lufthansa Group)
• Sebastian Riedle (Chief Product Officer (CPO) and Managing Director Product, Digital Hangar)
• Tim Fischbach (Head of Touristic Sales Home Markets, Lufthansa Airlines)

The Camino Network is a layer-1 blockchain that was developed with the tourism industry in mind particularly. Within the travel industry, which is worth several billions of dollars, Camino is an organization that is reinventing the distribution landscape and finding solutions to significant difficulties in connectivity, payments, and settlement. It is operated by a coalition of top industry participants. The future of Web3 travel is being driven by Camino, which has received financing in excess of ten million dollars and is supported by more than two hundred brands and more than 100 validators.