MakeMyTrip, South Asia’s leading online travel company, has launched multiple industry leading features to help reshape the travel booking experience in the UAE. Since its launch in the UAE in 2020, MakeMyTrip has become a prominent player amongst online travel agents (OTAs) in the flight booking domain. Now, the travel platform is targeting a leading position in the hotel booking space in the local OTA market. In line with that strategy, the travel platform has tied up with thousands of hotels across the Middle East, South Asia, Southeast Asia, and Europe to bring special prices for travellers from the UAE. Further, the company has partnered with leading banks to offer lucrative deals on flights and hotels. MakeMyTrip has also launched a high-decibel marketing campaign, ‘Break the Booking Routine,’ to reach a broader base.
“We are delighted that our user-centricity and transparent pricing have won the hearts of travellers in the UAE, making us a preferred customer choice for flight bookings in the local OTA market. We are extending it further by targeting to offer the benefits of booking through a ‘one-stop-travel-shop’ for flight as well as hotel booking with attractive consumer-led offers and differentiated tech-led features,” said Saujanya Shrivastava, Chief Operating Officer of Flights and Gulf Cooperation Council, MakeMyTrip. “Our experience of being a travel super-app in the diverse Indian market, and our strong tech stack, helps us understand the travel needs of users in the UAE better. With the launch of the industry-leading features and an innovative marketing campaign, we aim to reach out to a wider consumer base.”
Consumer research conducted by MakeMyTrip in the UAE highlighted that the consumers wanted ‘Flexibility at the time of booking’ and were concerned about ‘high cancellation charges’. The travel platform, in line with the findings, has launched multiple new features, such as:
- Book @AED1 allows travelers to make advance hotel bookings by paying just AED 1 at the time of booking. The feature enables travelers the flexibility to pay the whole amount later, closer to the check-in date. The Pay at Hotel feature allows the user to reserve the hotel and pay directly at the hotel.
- The zero-cancellation feature on flight booking provides an assurance of coverage in case of cancellation due to any uncertainties. The soon to be launched Price Lock feature on flight booking allows the user to pay a nominal amount to ‘lock’ the price and return to an assured ticket price later. The virtual interlining feature creates smart connecting combinations with different airlines to get the lowest fares.
MakeMyTrip has tied up with leading banks such as Emirates NBD, ADCB, Emirates Islamic, Citi, American Expressand more to launch limited period consumer-led offers on flights and hotel bookings starting from March 20. The company will offer up to 20% off with a limit of AED 200 on flight bookings, while the hotel promotion will offer up to 40% off with a limit of AED 600.
