A Look Back at Our 2022 Skift IDEA Awards Alumni: The Industry Innovators

25.08.2023 - 13:37 / skift.com / Adam Stacey

As we continue to accept applications for the fifth edition of the Skift IDEA Awards – which since its inception in 2019 has celebrated over 60 winners across a range of categories – our mission to recognize and celebrate the most forward-thinking brands and businesses across the travel industry has never been more important.

Ahead of the final deadline, which is set for June 20, we are reflecting on the incredible achievements of our 2022 honourees. 

With us already having taken a look at the Change Makers, next up we have the Industry Innovators – those forward-thinking projects driving innovation across the travel industry. 

A worthy winner in 2022 was the Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada (ITAC) and their campaign ‘The Original Original’, which was designed to help travelers better identify and support authentic Indigenous–led and owned businesses, reintroduce Indigenous culture to global travelers, and help rebuild what was lost during the pandemic.

“Since being recognized with a prestigious Skift IDEA Award for The Original Original Campaign, The Original Original mark of excellence has and will continue to promote authentic, sustainable and culturally rich Indigenous tourism experiences across Canada and beyond its borders,” says Vice President of the Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada (ITAC), Sébastien Desnoyers-Picard. 

“Now more than ever, ITAC is proud to be seen as one of the leaders among many global nations committed to growing their Indigenous tourism industries and being the only association to have an ISO accreditation for its industry.”

So, let’s take a look at these Industry Innovators and the projects that made them a winner at the 2022 Skift IDEA Awards. 

The SkyBuys – future of travel retail project revolves around industry award winning IP & technology to help duty free & travel retail operators, airlines, airports and travel agents generate a significant increase in ancillary revenue through smart data-driven, retail technology. The technology is currently being white-labeled and integrated into various partner platforms that service the travel industry, which will allow SkyBuys partners to present duty free & travel retail offers, experiences, exclusives to traveling passengers before they travel – and allow retailers, brands and additional partners to present meaningful, contextual and relevant notifications to help passengers become more aware of what is available based on their unique travel itinerary. 

The airline industry currently has less than 5% of the total global duty free & travel retail market, and continues to rapidly lose its collective share. With SkyBuys technology integrated into their IFE(C) devices, digital channels, as well as part of their