Charis Chrisna
TechInAfrica – Tourism and coding seems to have very little in common; one is often signified as sightseeing and basking in with the locals (and their delicacies). While the other one is depicted as testing hundreds of lines of code in order for a command and/or program to work the way it’s intended. Yet what if these two seemingly contrasting ideas meld into one? That is where #TrainTourHack comes in; coders are expected to develop tech solutions for the local tourism industry—all while enjoying a tour of the country itself via a premier train. How cool is that?
Geekulcha, a firm aiming to ensure the competitiveness within the South African tech ecosystem, partnered up with tour operator Zulu Nomad—alongside BrownSense InSight and the National Department of Tourism—to launch the inaugural #TrainTourHack this coming September.
Seventeen teams of coders will ride a 36-hour long train ride from Johannesburg, to Kimberley, before eventually moving to their final stop at Cape Town in #TrainTourHack. This train ride promotes not only workspaces for the coders to indulge themselves, but also offers breathtaking sights for the teams to enjoy (and potentially pluck for inspiration to be manifested into their respective projects).
Via their official YouTube channel, Geekulcha released the event’s promotional video. You can check it out below:
Tiyani Nghonyama, Geekulcha’s COO, asserted that if local geeks are to explore the country, they can also come up and develop newer solutions based on what they have experienced.
With a total of 42 individuals scattered across all seventeen teams, they will be joined with mentors and travel influencers in #TrainTourHack. To enlist in this program, coders and programmers would have to submit a written proposal signifying a probable, feasible solution for the travel industry.
In addition, as a substantial supporter to this hackathon, the Tourism Department deemed it was necessary for all nine provinces to represent their regions in the program. Hackers who took part in previous Geeklucha hackathons were also cordially invited.
#TrainTourHack will take place from September 5th to 8th, promising a reward fee of R250,000 set aside by the event sponsors. You can check out their official web page by clicking this link.
Source: itweb.co.za
