MakeMyTrip and Despegar Make Localization a Key Competitive Advantage


Skift Take

Does Expedia or Booking have the energy to launch their booking apps in four local Indian dialects? Maybe not, but MakeMyTrip does, and that local effort matters.
Skift believes that the rise of emerging market travelers will be a defining trend over the coming years and studying the business strategies of current leaders in the space can be instructive to executives and investors everywhere. Our newest Skift Research report, The State of Online Travel Agencies 2018 Part III: India and Latin America, examines the contours of these two crucial emerging markets by profiling their leading online travel sites, MakeMyTrip and Despegar, respectively. As part of our research, we examine both of these businesses to understand what makes them tick. For each, we look at the broad market backdrop, examine business models, and perform a detailed financial analysis. One of the top lessons we learned is how much care must be taken when localizing a travel offering. Both MakeMyTrip and Des