MakeMyTrip has defended the role of online travel platforms as artificial intelligence agents become increasingly capable of searching for flights, comparing hotels and planning trips. The Indian travel company argues that general-purpose AI assistants may help customers discover destinations and make decisions, but managing real bookings requires reliable inventory, payment processing, supplier relationships and customer support when travel plans change.
The company’s own AI assistant, Myra, illustrates how it intends to benefit from this shift. During the second quarter of fiscal 2027, Myra handled more than 90,000 conversations daily and assisted over 3,000 bookings a day. MakeMyTrip says customers who engage with the assistant convert at approximately 1.7 times the rate of those who do not. The company is expanding AI across trip planning, voice interactions and in-chat payments while maintaining that specialized travel platforms remain essential to completing a trip.
Key Takeaways
- MakeMyTrip’s position: General-purpose AI agents can help with travel discovery but are not yet positioned to replace the operational capabilities of travel platforms.
- Myra’s scale: The AI assistant handles more than 90,000 daily conversations and assists over 3,000 bookings a day.
- Higher conversion: Customers engaging with Myra convert at around 1.7 times the rate of non-users, according to the company.
- Regional opportunity: Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities account for approximately 55% of Myra conversations, with users in these markets showing a reported 2.1-times conversion rate relative to non-users.
- Customer support: Myra autonomously resolves more than 53% of post-booking flight and hotel queries.
- Strategic direction: MakeMyTrip is investing in conversational search and AI-assisted bookings while experimenting with external AI platforms.
Why MakeMyTrip Believes AI Agents Cannot Replace Travel Platforms
The rise of AI assistants has raised questions about whether customers will continue visiting travel websites and apps or simply ask an AI agent to plan and book an entire journey.
MakeMyTrip co-founder and Group CEO Rajesh Magow argues that recommending a destination is different from delivering a completed trip. A general-purpose AI assistant may suggest hotels, compare itineraries and explain travel options, but it still needs access to accurate prices, real-time availability and dependable booking systems.
Travel platforms also manage the operational work that follows a purchase. When a flight is cancelled or a hotel reservation fails, someone must coordinate with suppliers, process refunds and help the customer find an alternative.
In its October 2026 earnings discussion, MakeMyTrip highlighted three important advantages:
- Supply aggregation: Building relationships with hotels, homestays, bus operators and other travel providers.
- Transaction execution: Connecting customers with bookable inventory, reliable payments and commercial offers.
- Post-booking service: Managing cancellations, changes, refunds and customer support.
The company believes these capabilities give specialized travel platforms an advantage over general-purpose AI assistants, particularly in a market such as India, where much of the travel supply remains fragmented.
Myra Handles More Than 3,000 Bookings a Day
MakeMyTrip is not rejecting AI-led travel planning. Instead, it is integrating AI into its existing booking experience through Myra, its conversational travel assistant.
The company reported the following operating figures for the second quarter of fiscal 2027.
| Myra metric | Reported performance |
|---|---|
| Daily conversations | More than 90,000 |
| Bookings assisted daily | More than 3,000 |
| Conversion rate among Myra users | Approximately 1.7x that of non-users |
| Conversion rate in Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities | More than 2.1x that of non-users |
| Share of conversations from Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities | Approximately 55% |
| Post-booking flight and hotel queries resolved autonomously | More than 53% |
Source: MakeMyTrip’s Q2 FY2027 earnings call and company results, reported in Economic Times Travel.
The numbers suggest that customers are using Myra to obtain assistance during the travel-booking process. They do not necessarily show that customers are handing over an entire trip to an autonomous AI agent.
Magow clarified during the earnings call that many customers are already browsing MakeMyTrip when they open Myra to ask questions or clarify options. Those users subsequently convert at a higher rate, according to the company.
This distinction matters because AI-assisted booking and fully autonomous agentic commerce represent different stages of adoption.
Why India’s Smaller Cities Matter to Myra
MakeMyTrip sees a particularly important opportunity in Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities, where travelers may need more assistance navigating unfamiliar destinations, accommodation choices and booking procedures.
Conversational AI can allow customers to describe their requirements in everyday language rather than working through multiple search filters. Voice interactions and regional-language support can make the experience more accessible to people who are less comfortable typing detailed queries in English.
The company’s reported data shows that approximately 55% of Myra’s conversations originate in Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities. Customers in these markets who engage with the assistant book at more than twice the rate of non-users, according to MakeMyTrip.
The company believes this assistance can help first-time and occasional travelers understand their options and complete bookings with greater confidence.
However, the reported conversion differences should not automatically be interpreted as proof that Myra alone causes customers to book more often. People who choose to use an assistant may already have stronger purchase intent or more complicated travel needs. Further data would be required to isolate the assistant’s direct impact.
The Difference Between AI Assistance and Fully Autonomous Booking
One of the most important details in MakeMyTrip’s position is that customers are not yet routinely delegating the entire travel journey to autonomous AI systems.
Myra supports end-to-end trip planning and has expanded into voice interactions and in-chat payments. Nevertheless, the company described fully agentic travel commerce as being at an early stage in India.
| Travel task | Role of AI | What still matters |
|---|---|---|
| Destination discovery | Suggest destinations based on preferences | Accurate and relevant information |
| Flight and hotel search | Interpret natural-language requests | Live prices and availability |
| Booking assistance | Explain options and guide customers | Clear terms and transaction reliability |
| Payment | Support an integrated booking flow | Secure authorization and payment processing |
| Cancellations and refunds | Handle routine questions and requests | Supplier coordination and accountable service |
The distinction helps explain why MakeMyTrip believes travel platforms can remain relevant even if customers increasingly start their searches through general-purpose AI assistants.
An AI agent might become the interface through which a traveler discovers a trip, while a specialized platform supplies the inventory, processes the transaction and handles problems afterward.
AI Could Strengthen MakeMyTrip’s Business
MakeMyTrip is also applying AI beyond Myra. During its Q2 FY2027 earnings call, the company said AI-powered semantic search accounted for approximately 10% of hotel searches, with conversion rates around 24% higher than filter-led search.
Semantic search allows travelers to describe what they want in natural language. Rather than selecting several filters, a customer might describe a hotel suitable for a family holiday, close to local attractions and within a particular budget.
The company is also exploring AI to improve engineering productivity, customer support, supplier onboarding and the creation of content for smaller accommodation providers.
These applications could help MakeMyTrip improve the booking experience while reducing some operational costs. Faster supplier onboarding may also make more travel inventory discoverable online.
The company has additionally partnered with OpenAI to develop AI-powered travel discovery experiences, reflecting a strategy that combines its own assistant with experimentation across external AI interfaces.
The Bigger Picture
The debate over AI agents and travel platforms is part of a wider contest over who controls the customer relationship in an increasingly conversational internet. If customers begin travel planning inside general-purpose AI assistants, traditional platforms could risk losing traffic, customer data and opportunities to sell additional services.
MakeMyTrip’s counterargument is that travel requires more than information retrieval. Its supplier network, booking infrastructure, payments and post-sale support represent capabilities that general-purpose assistants would need to access or reproduce to deliver a complete service.
The company’s own Myra assistant also demonstrates that AI can improve engagement within an existing platform. The long-term outcome may not be a simple choice between AI agents and travel companies. Instead, travel platforms could provide the operational infrastructure behind AI-led discovery, while specialized assistants help customers make better decisions.
FAQs
1. What did MakeMyTrip say about AI agents replacing travel platforms?
MakeMyTrip said general-purpose AI assistants can help with discovery and planning but are not yet equipped to replace the complete capabilities of travel platforms, including supplier networks, booking transactions, payments and post-booking service.
2. How many bookings does Myra assist daily?
MakeMyTrip reported that Myra assists more than 3,000 bookings a day and handles over 90,000 daily conversations.
3. Does Myra increase booking conversion rates?
MakeMyTrip says customers who engage with Myra convert at around 1.7 times the rate of non-users. This is a company-reported comparison and does not, by itself, establish that using the assistant causes the entire difference.
4. Can customers book an entire trip through Myra?
Myra has expanded into end-to-end trip planning and in-chat payments. However, MakeMyTrip has described fully autonomous, end-to-end agentic travel booking as an early-stage use case in India.
5. How is MakeMyTrip using AI beyond Myra?
The company is incorporating AI into semantic search, hotel and flight discovery, customer support, engineering productivity and supplier onboarding. It is also experimenting with external AI platforms for travel discovery.
Looking Ahead
MakeMyTrip is likely to continue investing in conversational AI while strengthening the operational capabilities that support actual travel bookings. The key measures to watch include Myra’s daily usage, the number of bookings completed through increasingly autonomous workflows, customer-service automation and whether AI-driven search improves conversion across more categories.
The broader industry question is whether general-purpose AI agents will eventually own more of the customer journey or continue to depend on specialist platforms for fulfillment. MakeMyTrip’s strategy suggests that it expects AI to change how travelers discover and purchase trips, while trusted brands, accurate inventory and dependable service remain important parts of the transaction.
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