GURUGRAM: MakeMyTrip, India’s leading online travel company, today shared observations from Myra, its Gen-AI powered Trip Planning Assistant, pointing to an emerging behavioural trend in how Indian travellers are beginning to interact via voice. While Myra’s user base is still growing and now delivers more than 50,000 conversations daily, the initial data suggests that voice is beginning to enable a more expressive, contextual, and linguistically inclusive form of travel discovery, one that is different from how users search via text.

How Voice and Text Queries Are Beginning to Diverge

Even in early usage patterns, the contrast between how users type and speak their travel intent is visible. The majority of text searches are in the neighbourhood of 3-4 words, compressed and keyword-driven, such as “Goa hotels cheap” or “Delhi Mumbai flight.” Voice queries are beginning to look considerably different. Nearly 23% of voice queries exceed 11 words, compared to just 7% in text, as users tend to naturally articulate destination proximity, amenities, budget, group size, and dates within a single spoken interaction. For instance, “Show me affordable hotels in North Goa near the beach with a pool” or “2 adults and one kid, 3 nights from 14th January, budget under ₹15,000 per night.”,

Across several query categories, early data points to voice being used noticeably higher than text. Date-specific queries show the most pronounced difference, at 3.3x higher on voice, with users naturally saying “26th December to 29th” or “next Friday to Sunday” rather than typing compressed date formats.

Informational queries, where users are looking for guidance or explanation around certain processes or services, are indexing 2.7x higher on voice, suggesting that users are beginning to turn to conversational assistance for questions beyond transactional search. Examples include, in Hindi, “सऊदी का वीज़ा कैसे मिलेगा?” (How to get a Saudi visa); in Kannada, “ಜಪಾನ್‌ಗೆ ಪ್ರಯಾಣಕ್ಕೆ ಹೋಗುವ ಮೊದಲು ಯಾವ ದಾಖಲೆಗಳನ್ನು ಸಿದ್ಧಪಡಿಸಬೇಕು?” (What documents should be prepared before going on a Japan trip?); in Marathi, “कोल्हापूर ते दिल्ली जाण्यासाठी कोणती ट्रेन आहे व किती दिवस लागतात आणि ती कोणकोणत्या वारी असते?” (Which train is available to travel from Kolhapur to Delhi, how many days does it take, and on what days of the week does it run?); in Malayalam, എനിക്ക് ആനയിൽ നിന്ന് കൊച്ചിയിലേക്കുള്ള തത്കാല ടിക്കറ്റ് തിങ്കളാഴ്ച ഉള്ള ടിക്കറ്റ് ആണ് വേണ്ടത്. അതിന് വേണ്ടി ഞാൻ എന്താണ് ചെയ്യേണ്ടത് (I need Tatkal ticket from Anai to Kochi for Monday. What should I do for that?); and in Tamil, “வீல் சேர் எப்படி புக் பண்ணனும்னு சொல்லு?” (Tell me how to book a wheelchair?).

Location-specific queries account for 25.1% of all voice searches and index 1.5x higher on voice than text, with users naturally expressing proximity in phrases such as “near beach,” “walking distance from Golden Temple etc. Similar patterns are visible across languages. For instance, in

Bengali, “হ্যালো মাইরা এটা এই হোটেলটা গুয়াহাটি রেল স্টেশন থেকে কতদূর” (How far is this hotel from Guwahati railway station); and in Telugu, “గోవా బాగా దగ్గరలో తక్కువ రేట్లు మంచి రూమ్స్ కావాలి” (Need good rooms at low rates very close to Goa).

Voice Is Opening Up Travel Search Across India

One of the more telling early signals in the data is how voice is beginning to enable users to search in the language they naturally think and speak. While English dominates text searches, voice interactions are considerably more linguistically diverse, with English representing far lower % of voice queries. The gap points to something simple: users who are most comfortable in their own language are gravitating towards voice. For example, for Malayalam, voice trumps text by 46 to 1; for Tamil, this ratio is 36:1, and for Telugu, 32:1.

For users who found typing a barrier, the shift is less about technology and more about expression. Voice lets them describe exactly what they want, in their own words, without compression. Code-mixed users, who blend Hindi and English, are among the most expressive in early observations, averaging 10.5 words per query. A search like “Manali mein 3 nights ke liye hotel chahiye with mountain view and breakfast” captures nuance and preference in a single breath, something that text search has rarely accommodated.

“What we are beginning to see through Myra is encouraging. Voice is starting to give a new set of users, those who are most comfortable in their own language, a more natural way to search and plan travel. For someone in Kochi or Coimbatore who thinks in Malayalam or Tamil, being able to simply speak their requirements, rather than type them in English, changes the experience meaningfully. It is still early, but these initial signals point to voice having the potential to make travel planning more inclusive and accessible across India,” said Rajesh Magow, Co-founder and Group CEO, MakeMyTrip.

Premium Travellers and Multi-Constraint Queries

Early data also points to premium and elite traveller segments using much longer sentences while using voice on Myra, often combining star category, amenities, group size, and budget into a single spoken request. For example: “5-star villa in North Goa with private pool, 6 bedrooms, for 8 adults under ₹50K per night.” While these highly layered, multi-constraint queries represent a smaller share of total searches, they offer an early indication of how voice may be better suited to capturing complex travel intent than keyword-based text search.

MakeMyTrip has been deeply invested in AI and machine learning for several years, embedding intelligence across the travel lifecycle.  From inspiration and discovery to search, booking, and post-sales support, AI is integrated at every stage. These proprietary models, built on large language architectures and rich travel-intent data, power Myra. The AI Trip planning Assistant now facilitates over 50,000 conversations daily across multiple languages, including Bengali, Hindi, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Tamil, Telugu, and English. More than 45% of queries on Myra are coming from Tier-2 and smaller cities.

The post MakeMyTrip is Empowering Indians to Search for Travel in Their Native Languages appeared first on NRI News.

Recently, on Bengaluru’s iconic Church Street, a group of friends caught the attention of passersby with hilarious placards asking for help to find “Ankit.” One of the placards read: “Ankit, where are you? Our friend @Rashmi123 accidentally swiped left! What we know: He is 5’10”, loves chai, and works at one of the Big 4s. Find Ankit pls!!!”

(https://x.com/aneetta_joby_/status/1881601310077899213?s=46 )

Aneetta Joby’s heartfelt plea quickly went viral after a popular X (formerly Twitter) influencer shared pictures of the group with a caption rallying Bengaluru to join the hunt. Social media timelines are now buzzing with people tagging friends, sharing posts, and cracking jokes—all in the spirit of helping Rashmi find her Ankit.

Everyone in the Bengaluru internet community has come together to find Ankit, the 5’10, chai-lover guy.

Featured on pages like:

1. Viral Bhayani: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DFINiDmoDUU/?igsh=MXZheTZnNWc0eTJyNA==
2. RVCJinsta: https://www.instagram.com/p/DFF6GPyhWFW/?img_index=4&igsh=MTZiYnE3cG4yNWNpdQ%3D%3D
3. WhatsHotBangalore: https://www.instagram.com/p/DFHY3ZRpp-M/?igsh=MXR6Nmg4OHM5anhkYw%3D%3D&img_index=1

Stay tuned to know if Rashmi finds Ankit after all.

The post The Social Media Frenzy Surrounding the Search for Ankit appeared first on NRI News.

Top Domestic Destinations

• The top 20 domestic cities contribute 40% of all domestic searches travel during the upcoming holiday season, with Goa leading the charts
• Manali, Varanasi, Mussoorie & Udaipur witness double-digit % growth in searches
• 40% of the top 20 most searched domestic destinations include hill destinations across North and South India

The top 20 most searched domestic cities include:

• Goa
• Mumbai
• Udaipur
• Delhi
• Jaipur
• Manali
• Puri
• Bengaluru
• Munnar
• Varanasi
• Lonavala
• Mahabaleshwar
• Hyderabad
• Ooty
• Jaisalmer
• Kolkata
• Coorg
• Mussoorie
• Pondicherry
• Shimla

Top International Destinations:

• The top 20 international destinations contribute 83% of all international searches for travel during the upcoming holiday season
• Azerbaijan & Malaysia witness 248% & 100% growth in searches respectively. Japan, Vietnam & Turkey experience healthy double-digit growth in searches
• Canada & Maldives are the only two destinations among the top 20 that saw a drop in searches

The top 20 most searched international destinations include:

• United Arab Emirates
• Thailand
• Singapore
• Indonesia
• Malaysia
• United States
• Vietnam
• United Kingdom
• Sri Lanka
• Australia
• Canada
• Nepal
• Maldives
• Saudi Arabia
• Azerbaijan
• France
• Japan
• Hong Kong
• Turkey
• Qatar

Preferred Time of Travel

• Similar to last year, the Saturday before Christmas (21st Dec) continues to be the most searched travel date for both domestic and international travel.
• However, for domestic hotel searches, there is also a spike in interest for travel starting Dec 25th which indicates that travelers might be extending their holidays beyond Christmas till New Year’s Day

Business Class Travel on the Rise

• Business class bookings across domestic and international have grown by 50% YoY
• 80% increase in business class bookings for international flights
• 27% increase in business class bookings for domestic flights

Trend Towards Premiumization in Hotel Bookings

• The contribution of domestic hotel bookings priced above INR 10K+ increased to 22% as compared to 20% in the same period last year
• The contribution of international hotel bookings priced above INR 10K+ increased from 51% in 2023 to 57% this year

Holiday Packages

• Double-digit growth in bookings for holiday packages for the upcoming year-end holiday season 
• Average spending on year-end holiday packages has increased by 7% compared to the same period last year

Top domestic holiday packages:

• Andaman
• Kerala
• Goa
• Himachal
• Kashmir

Top international holiday packages

• Dubai
• Thailand
• Singapore
• Maldives
• Bali

The post Travel Search and Booking Trends in India for Year-End 2024 appeared first on NRI News.

MUMBAI: Kia, India’s leading premium mobility solutions provider, has announced its collaboration with Map My India to offer high-tech, smart navigation solutions to Kia customers nationwide. Integrated with My Kia and Kia Connect platforms, this strategic collaboration redefines the driving experience for users with accurate location services and a comprehensive place search function empowering users to confidently navigate their journeys. The platform’s 4-wheeler-specific Points of Interest (POIs) search, spanning over 450 categories, enables easy discovery of vital services like dealerships and service centers, fuel stations, hospitals, hotels, restaurants, and more.

Moreover, drivers will enjoy speed limit alerts, real-time incident updates (e.g., water logging, road works, traffic jams), and voice-guided navigation support while driving. These features, complemented by dynamic real-time safety alerts reaffirm Kia’s dedication to customer safety and delivering a tech-enabled enhanced driving experience.

Myung-sik Sohn, Chief Sales Officer of Kia India, said, “At Kia, we are constantly seeking partnerships that resonate with our commitment to innovation and customer satisfaction. Our collaboration with Map My India strengthens our positioning as a tech-forward brand dedicated to providing disruptive experiences to our new-age customers.”

The post Kia India Joins Hands With Map My India For High-Tech Smart Navigation appeared first on NRI News.