Market Research
Global and India online travel market sizing, AI adoption trends, and key market signals.
Global Online Travel Market
India Online Travel Market
WhatsApp Dominance
535M WhatsApp users in India with 89% smartphone penetration. 74% of consumers expect to buy directly via messaging apps.
Payment Infrastructure
114.9M active credit cards growing 27% YoY. 839M UPI users. Digital wallets handle ~50% of travel transactions.
AI Adoption
71% of Indian travelers already use AI for trip planning (vs 40% global). Gen AI surged from 6% to 15% as travel discovery channel in one year.
Key Market Signals
Mainly due to UX friction — the problem we solve with conversational booking on WhatsApp.
Consumer behavior is shifting toward conversational commerce. WhatsApp commerce shows 45-60% conversion rates.
Trust must be earned incrementally. Human-in-the-loop for payments is mandatory. Start with search, earn trust, then handle booking.
India has the most advanced digital payment infrastructure in the world. Users are comfortable paying digitally.
Market Tailwinds
AI Agent Explosion
StrongAI agent market: $10.9B growing at 45% CAGR. Every major tech company investing in agentic AI that can take actions, not just recommend.
India Digital Infrastructure
StrongUPI, Aadhaar, DigiLocker create the world's best digital payment + identity stack. WhatsApp pay integration growing.
Gen Z Travel Spending
GrowingGen Z and millennials prioritize experiences over things. Travel spending per capita increasing faster than GDP growth.
Market Headwinds
Incumbent Response Speed
12-18mo windowMakeMyTrip partnered with OpenAI (Feb 2026). ixigo partnered with OpenAI (Feb 2026). Google AI Mode building end-to-end booking by H2 2026.
Trust Deficit
High barrierOnly 2% of travelers want full AI booking autonomy. The Air Canada chatbot ruling makes companies liable for AI errors. Trust must be earned incrementally.
Consumer Inertia
For simple tripsFor a simple BLR→DEL one-way, most users will just open MakeMyTrip. The value proposition is strongest for complex, multi-leg, loyalty-optimized trips.