IBM was one of the first to bring voice search assistants into the travel experience with the launch of their Watson-enabled robot concierge, "Connie" in Hilton Hotels in 2016, but leaps in technology will see more and more travel apps and hardware integrating voice and natural language search into their user interfaces in 2018, sparked by the mainstream success of the Amazon Alexa. Consumers will be able to talk to their digital assistant, whether through their smartphone, Alexa or other device to check flight details, search for a hotel or book tickets immediately. The difference in adoption of voice search across different parts of the world is significant. Travelport's recent Digital Traveller research showed that while just 33% of consumers in the UK had used voice Search, 72% in China had. But in the US, the number of smartphone owners using voice assistants has doubled to more 60% in just 2 years.

Travel tech is a well-established category but startups are still bringing innovation to the space and attracting financing. Deals are on track to hit an all-time high this year as a broad range of VCs invest in the sector. Using CB Insights data, we ranked the most active investors into unique travel tech startups since 2013, including venture capital and corporate venture investors. We define travel tech as tech-enabled companies offering services and products focused on travel and tourism, including booking services, search and planning platforms, on-demand travel, and recommendation sites. From new booking engines to events/activities to person-to-person platforms like Airbnb, there is innovation all over in travel.

We take a look at categories where AI startups are beginning to emerge. A majority of them are in the early stages of funding. We take a look at categories where AI startups are beginning to emerge. A majority of them are in the early stages of funding. Artificial Intelligence is being hailed as the new linchpin of the tech industry.