“Travelling’’ implies connecting people from different countries, diverse regions and varied landforms. Considering the fringe benefits of travelling and tourism, Indian entrepreneurs are devising innovative startup ideas in the travel space. The old guard in the travel fraternity is steadily sweeping up the startup ecosystem and new entrants are coming in to assist travel startups. Pre-seed investments have increased and more and more organizations are catering to travel tech startups. The travel startup sector in India looks promising with several startups like Goibibo, MakeMyTrip, OYO Rooms, ZO Rooms and Ixigo serving as a marketplace for hotels, activities, air fares, cabs, train tickets and getting the support from Naspers, CTrip, Sequoia Capital, Amadeus and SAIF partners. Opportunities galore in the Travel startup space with companies pushing new capital into the ecosystem by launching a new incubator, accelerator or a venture fund. However, there are many challenges. The corporate innovation strategies are exacting and require sufficient time for development. In the current scenario, it is easier to get funded in earlier rounds than subsequent rounds primarily because scaling becomes a major challenge in later stages.

So, what is in vogue in the travel startup scene? Are internet and smartphone penetration prompting startups to plunge into the sector? What are the prominent business models in this sector? How’s the funding scene in this sector ?

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