India's Largest Online Travel Agencies Aren't at War, But They Are in a Race


three men speaking on stage

Skift Take

The CEOs of two of India's largest online travel agencies both see huge potential for growth, and room enough for virtually all competitors to thrive.

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.

"I don’t lose sleep about some competitor doing something for a month," said Dhruv Shringi, co-founder and CEO of Yatra Online at the Skift India Summit 2024 in Gurugram, India. He said that operators need a long-term plan for growing in India travel. "You need a strategy for long-term retention of customers."

By 2027, India is slated to become the world's