Traveltech flourishes in Scotland amid record deals – Daily Business

Edinburgh has emerged as a hub for travel technology innovation amid record investment in the sector across the UK.

Analysis from Dealroom, the data and analytics platform, commissioned by the Traveltech Innovation Hub at Edinburgh Futures Institute, highlights how the UK has become the third largest traveltech investment destination globally, behind only the US and Canada.

A new report shows UK traveltech companies have raised $1.6 billion since 2020 across nearly 300 deals, with 2024 marking a record year as investment reached $518 million – largely driven
by AI-powered innovation.

More than 100 travel tech startups are registered in Scotland. Obvlo, recently raised $2 million to develop AI solutions for producing and maintaining personalised local content at scale for travel and hotel brands such as Virgin Hotels. Barcelona-based travel management company TravelPerk just announced the opening of an office in Edinburgh.

Joshua Ryan-Saha, director of the Traveltech Innovation Hub at the Edinburgh Futures Institute, said: “The application of artificial intelligence across the traveltech landscape is transforming every aspect of how we discover, book and experience travel.

“This is creating significant opportunities for innovative companies, particularly those leveraging Edinburgh’s excellence in AI research and development.”