Presenting the Hot 25 Travel Startups for 2026

The travel industry remains a fertile ground for innovators, despite the ongoing lack of startup funding, rapid developments in artificial intelligence (AI) and wider challenges around economic and political uncertainty.

Many in the industry, from those who have founded companies to those who have funded startups, are excited about the potential for future innovation and the business models AI may bring.

Since our first cohort of Hot 25 Travel Startups for 2019 was published in late 2018, PhocusWire has covered and continues to keep an eye on 175 companies across all travel segments and geographies.

The Hot 25 Travel Startups for 2026 are no exception, with companies from Asia Pacific, the Middle East, the U.K., the U.S. and Latin America getting recognition this time around.

The combined PhocusWire-Phocuswright team, which began the process of narrowing down a list of more than 150 travel startups back in July, continues to look for companies that stand out for their innovation and market potential while also focusing on diversity across founding teams, sectors and geographies.

Of the class of 2026, 10 are very early stage, having been founded in 2024 or 2025. Of the remainder, many were born during or just after the COVID pandemic, which demonstrates their focus and determination to succeed.

And while last year’s cohort included about 10 travel startups built using AI or that quickly incorporated the technology into their development strategies, this year, at least 60% of our Hot Startups are leaning heavily on AI.

Other emerging technologies such as blockchain and decentralized ID are also represented.

According to Mike Coletta, senior manager of research and innovation at Phocuswright, in the current climate, the most successful startups will be those that are AI-native and adaptable.

"As we pointed out in The AI-Native Edge: Travel Startups 2025, travel startup funding will hit multi-year lows this year even as AI-native founders report step-function productivity gains. Capital is concentrating in a tiny slice of companies while exits remain a bottleneck. Incumbents are retrofitting, and investors have shifted from spray-and-pray to prove-and-pay," he said.

"Thus, expect fewer, sharper checks chasing teams like these that can turn speed into distribution and outrun the funding drought. The winners will be the AI-native companies leapfrogging legacy stacks and building agent-ready services that can plug directly into the next generation of distribution."

Checking in on previous years

We are now in the eighth year of publishing the Hot 25 Travel Startups.

Including the class of 2026, PhocusWire has recognized 200 companies through the Hot 25 series. Collectively, those startups have raised more than $3.3 billion dollars, according to Phocuswright’s Travel Startups Interactive Database.

Naturally, some startups have been acquired along the way or merged with other companies. A small number are longer operating, but the majority are still in business.

Across the wider travel startup landscape, Phocuswright has tracked nearly 8,000 companies that have received more than $230 billion in funding from more than 11,000 rounds since 2005.

While the data shows that travel tech funding totaled $5.8 billion in 2024, a slight increase from $5.3 billion in 2023, it is on track to decline again this year. By the end of May this year, the figure stood at $1.1 billion.

The class of 2026

For each of the companies on this year’s list, we are sharing details provided by the founders in their own words, including a description of the company, strategic goals for 2026 and lessons learned since founding. We’ve also included links to PhocusWire’s past coverage of these startups, as applicable.

Click on the company names below for details about each startup, what they have been doing and what they plan to do in the coming year.