Articles tagged “india”

Surprising factors have delayed the coronation of MakeMyTrip Group as India's queen of domestic online travel. Paytm came out of nowhere to grab share, Oyo upended budget hotel distribution, Ixigo tried to make price comparison chic, and Booking.com outmaneuvered Expedia for premium hotel bookings. From this scrappy mix, online travel will find new lessons.

Leela Hotels would be nice for anyone to have, because of its storied name and luxurious feel. Minor backing off shows its discipline in investing.

India’s airlines punch far below their weight in the intercontinental arena. In fact, deeply troubled Air India maintains its leadership in the market. But will things change as others, including some low-cost carriers, contemplate long-haul flying?

Google’s acquisition of Bangalore-based Where is my Train validates the growing importance of rail travel — and the anxiety among competitors of Google's growing reach into travel.

India is ideal for aerial taxi services, and while Uber decides if that’s where its first Uber Air international city will be, local startup JetSetGo simply gets going with a new SkyShuttle service that will provide it with insights for future air mobility.

Gordon Wilson, the CEO of Travelport, said in an interview that he sees India as one of the drivers of its long-term growth. That's plausible, but not assured. Private equity should take the company private to shield it from quarterly earnings pressure, and allow it to invest properly to make the most of its varied opportunities.

MakeMyTrip's management deserves credit for ending a period of decelerating growth and for reducing operating losses over several quarters. But many investors are impatient for an era of profits.

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.

Emerging markets will shape the future of the travel industry but each region requires a unique strategy. MakeMyTrip and Despegar, online travel leaders in India and Latin America, provide distinct insights into how to succeed their respective home markets.

The India outbound market is already huge and doesn’t show any signs of slowing its growth. It’s about time the global travel industry started paying attention if companies hope to capture a share of the market.