Investing.com -- A recent Web3 Hackathon in Frankfurt, hosted by Lufthansa Systems and Swiss International Air Lines (SWISS) in collaboration with the Camino Network Foundation, sparked the creation of innovative travel tech solutions. Some of the solutions, developed by experts, leverage blockchain and artificial intelligence to potentially make the travel industry more efficient, cost-effective, and sustainable.
The event saw teams from 13 travel and tech companies develop practical, ready-to-use solutions in just 48 hours. According to participants who attended the event, the solutions created during the hackathon demonstrated significant efficiency over traditional distribution channels.
The event focused on practical implementation rather than theoretical models, exploring new ways of distributing flight and travel products via the blockchain-based Camino Network.
Key topics at the event included new payment methods, CO₂ offsetting, access to emerging sales markets, and personalized group travel. A jury of Deutsche Lufthansa AG (ETR: LHAG ) experts selected the three most compelling projects:
1. The Unimoni team presented a solution for integrating 300,000 non-IATA travel agencies in India into the Camino Network, which includes local payment methods and direct access to Lufthansa flight content. This solution could significantly lower distribution costs and open new international markets, with potential for expansion to other regions.
2. The SWISS and Digital Hangar team proposed a concept for enhancing Travel-ID via Web3 wallet integration, enabling the issuance, exchange, and management of digital identities and real-world assets like vouchers and digital services.
3. The Hotelplan team developed a group booking solution that allows travelers from different locations heading to the same destination to book together while paying individually, offering a more convenient, faster, and cost-effective solution than before.
How to support CO₂ reduction
Carbify was named the “Winner of the Hearts” by the jury. Their solution demonstrated how the Camino Network can support CO₂ reduction by providing full traceability of compensation activities, including the geolocation of each planted tree.
Mickael Woelcke, project manager at SWISS and one of the hackathon’s main initiators, said, "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 that “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.”
The Lufthansa Group is currently evaluating which of the hackathon projects could be developed into concrete pilot applications.