MakeMyTrip sees uptick in voice searches, higher traction in regional markets

While English dominates text searches, voice interactions are considerably more linguistically diverse with English representing far lower percentage of voice queries.

• Myra's voice search enhances inclusive travel planning.
• Voice queries are longer and more detailed than text searches.
• Voice search boosts accessibility for regional language users.

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Voice search is gaining traction, according to online travel company MakeMyTrip.

Initial data analysis of Myra, the platform's Gen-AI powered trip planning assistant suggests that voice is beginning to enable a more expressive, contextual, and linguistically inclusive form of travel discovery.

How voice and text queries are beginning to diverge

Early usage patterns show the contrast between how users type and speak their travel intent. Majority of text searches are in the neighbourhood of 3-4 words, compressed and

keyword-driven, such as “Goa hotels cheap” or “Delhi Mumbai flight.”

Voice queries are beginning to look considerably different. Nearly 23 percent of voice queries exceed 11 words, compared to just 7% in text, as users tend to naturally articulate destination proximity, amenities, budget, group size, and dates within a single spoken interaction. For instance, “Show me affordable hotels in North Goa near the beach with a pool” or “2 adults and one kid, 3 nights from 14th January, budget under Rs 15,000 per night.”

Across several query categories, early data points show voice being used noticeably higher than text.

Date-specific queries show the most pronounced difference, at 3.3 times higher on voice, with users

naturally saying “26th December to 29th” or “next Friday to Sunday” rather than typing

compressed date formats.

Informational queries, where users are looking for guidance or explanation around certain

processes or services, are indexing 2.7 times higher on voice, suggesting that users are beginning to

turn to conversational assistance for questions beyond transactional search.

Location-specific queries account for 25.1 percent of all voice searches and index 1.5 times higher on voice than text, with users naturally expressing proximity in phrases such as “near beach,” “walking distance from Golden Temple etc. Similar patterns are visible across languages.

Voice is opening up travel search across India

While English dominates text searches, voice interactions are considerably more linguistically diverse with English representing far lower percentage of voice queries.

The gap points to something simple: users who are most comfortable in their own language are gravitating towards voice. For example, for Malayalam, voice trumps text by 46 to 1; for Tamil this ratio is 36:1 and Telugu 32:1.

For users who found typing a barrier, the shift is less about technology and more about

expression. Voice lets them describe exactly what they want, in their own words, without

compression. Code-mixed users, who blend Hindi and English, are among the most expressive

in early observations, averaging 10.5 words per query. A search like “Manali mein 3 nights ke liye

hotel chahiye with mountain view and breakfast” captures nuance and preference in a single

breath, something that text search has rarely accommodated.

“What we are beginning to see through Myra is encouraging. Voice is starting to give a new set

of users, those who are most comfortable in their own language, a more natural way to search

and plan travel. For someone in Kochi or Coimbatore who thinks in Malayalam or Tamil, being

able to simply speak their requirements, rather than type them in English, changes the experience

meaningfully. It is still early, but these initial signals point to voice having the potential to make

travel planning more inclusive and accessible across India,” said, Rajesh Magow, Co-founder

and Group CEO, MakeMyTrip.

Premium travellers and multi-constraint queries

Early data also points to premium and elite traveller segments using much longer sentences while

using voice on Myra, often combining star category, amenities, group size, and budget into a

single spoken request.

Myra currently facilitates over 50,000 conversations daily across multiple languages, including Bengali, Hindi, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Tamil, Telugu and English. More than 45 percent of queries are coming from Tier-2 and smaller cities.