MakeMyTrip tips

Online travel company MakeMyTrip on Monday announced its acquisition of expense management platform Happay from Indian fintech company CRED. The deal would allow MakeMyTrip to deepen its foothold in the expanding corporate travel market.

Indian luxury hospitality chain Oberoi Hotels and Resorts is set to open the first Oberoi Hotel in the United Kingdom. The Oberoi Group announced that the chain’s first property will be located in London’s Mayfair and will be a boutique hotel. 

Last quarter, MakeMyTrip introduced Myra, an AI-powered chatbot designed to streamline international flight bookings. Myra has since evolved, and currently handles hotel and homestay bookings, providing real-time assistance based on a wealth of proprietary data, including customer reviews.

This episode of the Skift India Travel Podcast sets the stage for an in-depth discussion on India’s evolving corporate travel market. Avinash Chandani, partner at Deloitte India, talks to Asia Editor Peden Doma Bhutia about the growth potential of the Indian corporate travel market. Key topics include growth drivers, industry trends like blended travel, the impact of technology and data, and the role of travel management companies. The podcast provides an insight into how businesses are navigating high travel costs, geopolitical challenges, and shifting traveler expectations providing a comprehensive understanding of the opportunities and challenges in India’s corporate travel landscape, with a mix of data-driven analysis and expert commentary.

It was only recently that Yatra Online CEO Dhruv Shringi could be heard talking about how Indian carrier IndiGo’s fierce pricing squeeze had led to a drop in revenue.

Skift Asia Editor Peden Doma Bhutia and India Reporter Bulbul Dhawan unpack some of the biggest takeaways from the recent Union Budget announced in India as well as the earnings calls of IndiGo, MakeMyTrip, and the Indian Hotels Company Limited (IHCL). Find out how the budget fared compared to the expectations of the travel industry stakeholders in this latest episode of the Skift India Travel Podcast.

The travel industry in India had a long wish list for the Union Budget released Tuesday: Industry status for tourism; a uniform tax rate for hotels; streamlined registration for online travel agencies; infrastructure status for hotels.

India’s rising middle class and higher disposable income have boosted spending on discretionary services, while the growing lower middle class has bolstered domestic travel, said Rajesh Magow, group CEO of MakeMyTrip, during an earnings call on Tuesday.

The demand for alternative accommodations in India is at an early stage but continues to grow.

Indian travelers have reached a new peak in overseas spending.

Indian online travel agency MakeMyTrip will be resuming its attractions and activities product for travelers, a feature it had paused during the Covid pandemic.

Corporate travel in India is booming – spending surged nearly 25% in 2023. And online travel companies are ramping up their efforts to profit from it.  

Indian online travel agency MakeMyTrip made a push Monday to go global: It has extended its services to over 150 countries, including the UK, Germany, Japan, Italy, and France.

Singapore is making a push to attract Indian tourists. The Singapore Tourism Board has announced a series of partnerships with Indian companies, the latest an agreement Wednesday with fintech firm PhonePe.

CEOs at MakeMyTrip and Yatra Online agree: India holds more than just a country. 

A bulging middle class, a mega-rich 1%, and a rapidly growing population are swirling to potentially make India a tourism superpower. But the country’s largest online travel agencies are not going to go to war; rather, they’re in a race for who can leverage the growth opportunities first and then on a long-term basis.

India’s business travel spending is set to reach $38 billion this year, with a projected full recovery to pre-2019 spending levels by 2025, according to the Global Business Travel Association (GBTA).

Online travel agency MakeMyTrip has announced the launch of ‘Business Class Funnel’ for international flights, with the aim of enhancing the booking experience of first- and business-class travelers. According to a statement, the product will provide travelers with a centralized platform to access information regarding the premium experiences, such as seat recline, meals, and in-flight entertainment, that they would be getting in return for the increased prices for first- and business-class tickets. 

The civil aviation ministry is looking to integrate DigiYatra, the digital initiative for airport check-ins, for international travel. Jyotiraditya Scindia, the civil aviation minister, recently met airport operators to discuss it.

In the fiscal year 2023-24 budget, the Indian government showed its recognition of the immense potential of the travel and tourism sector by allocating INR 24 billion ($290 million).

As Ayodhya undergoes a massive transformation with a projected $10 billion redevelopment, including a new airport, upgraded railway station, township, and improved road connectivity, the town could attract over 50 million tourists annually, according to a report by brokerage firm Jeffries.