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It鈥檚 peak season for travel. And it turns out travel startup dealmaking is looking pretty robust too.

So far this year, seed through growth-stage financing for travel-related companies is on track to continue its recovery from 2023 lows. Recent deal flow includes large rounds for both consumer-facing companies and startups developing tools for the hospitality industry.

This morning, the space got a further boost with the announcement that 1, provider of a global platform for booking flights, secured a large minority investment from at a of $3.1 billion. The Stockholm-based company is majority-owned by private equity firm .

While Etraveli didn鈥檛 specify how bringing on a new investor will impact its growth plans, it should be noted that the company was once an . It鈥檚 made at least eight known purchases, with the most recent in 2019.

Today, the company operates multiple brands and businesses, including several travel agencies. Etraveli also partners with , and says its flight-booking technology is used by more than 40 million travelers annually.

So, who else got funded?

The company is one of several that scored sizable investments this year.

At venture stage, per 附近上门 data the largest travel-related round of the year so far was for聽 , an Ohio-based provider of digital SIM cards for travelers to avoid high roaming charges. The 6-year-old company raised $220 million this month in a round led by CVC.

Barcelona-based , a tool for booking work trips, was also a hefty fundraiser. The company secured $200 million in a January Series E led by and . Another big financing, meanwhile, went to Singapore鈥檚 , a platform for finding tours and experiences, which secured a $100 million Series F in May.

Or exited?

We鈥檝e also seen some large acquisitions of funded companies tied to travel and tourism.

In the largest deal, acquired , a provider of marketing and operations tools for the hospitality industry, for $1.2 billion.

In another sizable transaction, , an Australian short-term rental company, sold to , the short-term rental unit of India-based hospitality unicorn in a cash-and-stock deal for an undisclosed price.

As for IPOs, we haven鈥檛 seen much action of late for venture-backed startups. However, with the IPO window opening up some in recent weeks, there鈥檚 optimism that members of the existing stable of travel hospitality unicorns may be gearing up for public offerings in coming months.

‘Coolcations’ and travel industry trends

As for the broader space, industry forecasts include both bullish and bearish indicators.

On the upbeat side, travel industry researcher鈥檚 recent points to a balanced period of growth for the sector. Vacation rentals, in particular, are seen as performing well, while the hotel industry faces some struggles.

With summer travel in full swing, crowded airports and beaches where it鈥檚 hard to find space for an umbrella also indicate a healthy spending environment. Even that biggest complaint among travelers 鈥� it鈥檚 too darn hot 鈥� is getting ameliorated by some shifting priorities.

In particular, one of the rising travel industry buzzwords in the age of climate change is the 鈥渃oolcation鈥� 鈥� as travelers increasingly seek cooler locales to spend leisure time. In the brutal peak weeks of summer heat, it鈥檚 a trend that, at least for now, sounds quite appealing.

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