Indians are increasingly searching for travel in the language they speak, with voice interactions emerging as a more expressive and inclusive way to plan trips, according to new observations shared by online travel company MakeMyTrip from its Gen-AI powered Trip Planning Assistant, Myra. Based on insights from nearly 20 lakh voice conversations, Myra—now facilitating over 50,000 conversations daily—indicates that voice queries are becoming more contextual and conversational compared to text searches. While text searches typically contain just three to four words, nearly 23 per cent of voice queries exceed 11 words as travellers increasingly describe details such as budget, location, amenities, travel dates and group size in a single request.
The company’s early data also shows voice usage significantly higher in certain categories. Date-specific travel queries are 3.3 times higher on voice than text, while informational queries—such as visa requirements or travel documentation—are 2.7 times more common through voice interactions. Location-specific queries account for over 25 per cent of voice searches, often including phrases like “near beach” or “walking distance from Golden Temple.” Voice search is also enabling more users to interact in their native languages. Malayalam voice queries outnumber text searches by 46:1, while Tamil and Telugu show ratios of 36:1 and 32:1 respectively. Code-mixed Hindi-English users are among the most expressive, averaging more than 10 words per query.
Rajesh Magow, Co-founder and Group CEO of MakeMyTrip, said voice technology is helping travellers search and plan trips more naturally in their own languages, making travel discovery more accessible across India. The trend is also visible in eastern markets such as Kolkata, where users from Tier-2 and nearby towns increasingly prefer voice-based search while planning leisure and religious travel. Travel agents and digital booking platforms in Kolkata note that multilingual voice queries are helping first-time online users explore travel options more comfortably, particularly for domestic destinations and budget hotel searches.
