Australiaâs Queensland state government has awarded a $100,000 grant to a crypto travel experience startup, a government official announced on Wednesday.
The company, TravelbyBit, designs âtourist routesâ on which travelers can spend crypto, and also provides a crypto payments platform for merchants.
âTourism is one of Queenslandâs most important industries,â Innovation Minister Kate Jones said in a statement. She added:
âTravelbyBit has devised a clever way to make it easier for visitors to our state to pay for their purchases with a growing number of local businesses accepting cryptocurrency payments.â
The startup is one of 70 companies that will receive funding from a $8.3 million grant, and Jones said the money will be used to help TravelbyBit âscale-up their operation.â
According to CEO Caleb Yeoh, 150 merchants across Australia already use TravelbyBitâs payments platform, but the companyâs aspirations are higher â literally. It has partnered with the Brisbane Airport Corporation to create a crypto-friendly airport.
âWith this next phase of technology, we are targeting a different brand of tourist â the tech savvy travellers from anywhere in the world who are looking to book their travel experiences ahead of their trip and use digital currency to pay for their travels,â he said in the statement.
TravelbyBit currently facilitates payments in BTC, LTC, DASH, ETH, XEM and will accept BNB in the future.
Business miniatures image via Shutterstock