That’s a wrap! Thank you to everyone who joined us at w3.hub Berlin. Here’s how it went.
The first Decode Travel brought more than 50 international tech, travel and Web3 experts to w3.hub Berlin, hosted by Chain4Travel. From product managers to backend and blockchain developers, eight teams tackled four challenges posed by well-known travel and Web3 companies, and built their solutions on Camino Network, the travel-focused blockchain infrastructure.
A mobile app that uses zero-knowledge proofs to confirm a real hotel stay when a review is submitted, while protecting the reviewer’s privacy. Check-in becomes the proof of stay: a QR code opens the HolidayCheck app linked to the traveler’s wallet, so reviews can be matched to actual stays wherever the hotel was booked.
Crypto payments for the Utravel marketplace: scanning a QR code opens a chat in a messenger like Telegram, linked to the traveler’s wallet, and a smart contract pays the guide directly from the traveler’s wallet.
Marine restoration turned into a game: guests hunt for hidden QR codes or NFC tags in the group’s hotels, donate to marine restoration through the app and earn NFTs that reward their loyalty.
No more queueing at hotel check-in: travelers scan a QR code at reception and, thanks to Web3 and self-sovereign identity, the hotel only sees the data it needs from their wallet. The same flow can carry personalized information and rates.
A treasure hunt on Mallorca’s beaches: walkers find NFC-tagged objects, collect them with a chat bot, earn a unique pixel-art reward and are invited to support the restoration of the island’s undersea ecosystem.
Book a room through the Camino Messenger bot and receive a Polygon ID credential that proves the booking at the hotel.
PIP, the Polygon ID Passport: a smoother car rental with digital keys guests can share, plus loyalty points, all tied to a verified digital identity.
Paying local guides in digital currency: a smart contract set up by the tour operator holds the tour, its checkpoints, the travelers and the guide, and takes care of the payment.
Crypto payments as easy as a chat message: a Telegram bot that lets two parties send and receive payments on Camino Network.
A treasure hunt on Mallorca’s beaches: walkers find NFC-tagged objects, collect them with a chat bot, earn a unique pixel-art reward and are invited to support the restoration of the island’s undersea ecosystem.
All the challenges presented at Decode Travel were crafted to address real business bottlenecks faced by participating companies directly. Hence, the hackathon was highly productive and resulted in the development of applicable solutions relevant to the needs of the companies and the industry.
sponsored by Alpitour World Group Digital payments are hard where banks are missing and local currencies are unstable. Teams were asked to let travelers pay local guides in cryptocurrency through the UTravel app, with smart contracts releasing the payment only once the tour is completed, proven by GPS.
Alpitour World Group, a well-known innovator in the world of travel, has recently launched UTravel — a new brand aimed at Gen-Z travelers. Founded with a vision to reimagine the journey, the new brand provides access to a diverse range of activities and services through its app, tapping into local Destination Management Companies (DMCs) and community-based partners, many of whom lack digital presence. For travelers, UTravel offers unique and genuine experiences that positively impact local economies.
sponsored by Polygon ID Three challenges built on self-sovereign identity: personalization without giving away personal data, preferential rates proven with verifiable credentials, and one-click identity checks at every travel touchpoint.
Polygon ID provides an innovative set of tools for identity management in the travel industry through the concept of Self-Sovereign Identity (SSI). Using the SDK, developers can securely create, issue, and authenticate verifiable credentials using blockchain technology and zero-knowledge proofs. Now, travelers can prove personal attributes needed for various travel-related processes without compromising their privacy.
Challenge 1: privacy and personalization in travel. Travelers often need to share personal data to receive customized services. Polygon ID enables travelers to manage and share their preferences selectively, without compromising privacy. With this technology travel service providers as hotels or airlines can create and scale personalized offers without accessing personal information broadly. The challenge includes implementing a KYC process, allowing hotels to verify identity and booking ownership without full data exposure, and deploying local verification systems for higher data security.
Challenge 2: preferential rates for travelers. Travelers often miss out on preferential rates because service providers can't verify their eligibility without personal data. Polygon ID allows suppliers to verify a traveler's eligibility for special rates and offers based on nationality or residency through secure, verifiable credentials. This system supports privacy-preserving verification at any point, from booking to check-in. Thus, travelers can access special rates without unnecessary personal data disclosure.
Challenge 3: Seamless identity verification across travel touchpoints. The multiple identity checks during travel are often inefficient and repetitive. Polygon ID offers an approach where travelers can verify their identity and booking details with a single click at each checkpoint, securely proving identity and details. It is fast and satisfying for a traveler.
sponsored by Universal Mallorca Travel Getting guests involved in protecting the Mediterranean sea: a solution that motivates them to sponsor the restoration of local ecosystems, with flexible amounts and areas, promoted at reception, in restaurants and through digital media.
Universal Mallorca Travel’s brand Universal Beach Hotels is the company managing a group of 17 hotels. As a family-owned Swiss company, they place a strong emphasis on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), actively participating in sustainability projects like the Plastic Free Traveller Movement and the Cleanwave Foundation's Medgardens project for seagrass restoration. They are keen to extend environmental practices with the help of digital technologies, engaging more travelers in the process of restoration of ecosystems in and around Mallorca.
sponsored by HolidayCheck Review systems are easy to manipulate, and fake reviews deceive consumers. Using Camino Network and zero-knowledge proofs, teams were asked to prove that a reviewer had genuinely stayed at the hotel.
sponsored by Camino Network Foundation Reshape travel distribution with wallet-to-wallet communication on Camino Messenger, replacing fragmented systems, multiple APIs and manual processes with a unified travel standard.
“The creativity and dedication displayed by all participants have been truly inspiring. This hackathon’s output demonstrates impressively how fast innovation based on Web3 can have an immense impact on the bright future of travel tech and the travel industry. Web3 enables new service approaches and impressive savings for participating companies, especially first movers.”
“It was great to see how every project made such a big step forward code-wise. This time, teams all brought different tech stacks, which was nice to see through various interesting approaches and technologies used. I've learned a lot from hackers just by looking through their projects. Guys supporting the hackers did a great job; most teams, in the end, had working projects that integrated a wide range of technologies. Even though I couldn't be present there, from my perspective, the organization levelled up as well. Looking forward to events in the future and hope I can be present at the next ones.”
Mehr als 50 Tech-, Reise- und Web3-Experten tüftelten beim "Decode Travel"-Hackathon des Blockchain-Start-ups Chain4Travel an insgesamt vier Challenges. Darum ging es bei den Aufgaben, die von Alpitour World, Holidaycheck, Universal Mallorca Travel und Polygon ID kamen.
Decode Travel hackathon organized by Chain4Travel in April 2024 became the opening for a series of events to be held around the globe. The event was well-aligned with the mission of the Camino Network Foundation, which is to encourage a collaborative environment that helps traditional travel businesses smoothly join the web3 travel ecosystem.
Hexens supported Decode Travel through its web3 security ecosystem Remedy by providing free access to all participants. Remedy is a one-stop shop for cutting-edge technologies purpose-built to empower the complete security lifecycle of Web3 projects. Remedy includes: bug bounty program, ZK Storage and Glider - ultimate query engine scanning deployed smart contracts across all EVM chains.
