MakeMyTrip partners with Microsoft for voice-based travel bookings in Indian languages with AI

MakeMyTrip announced a partnership with Microsoft on Monday to bring voice-assisted booking in Indian languages using Generative AI to make travel planning easier.

Beta Version Is Available for Users in English and Hindi

The voice-assisted feature will initially be available to a select group of MakeMyTrip users in English and Hindi. However, the company intends to expand the platform to other Indian languages in the near future, including Bhojpuri and various southern dialects.

MakeMyTrip revealed that Microsoft Azure OpenAI Service and Azure Cognitive Services will power the new in-platform technology stack. The AI service will have a conversation with the user to determine their preferences for travel, then recommend destinations, hotels, activities, and other trip components based on those preferences, as well as help with the booking of the packages.

The New Feature Aims to Make Travel Planning Easier

According to MakeMyTrip, the new feature aims to make travel planning more accessible to a wider audience by leveraging the power of AI and voice technology.

Rajesh Magow, Co-Founder & Group CEO of MakeMyTrip, expressed pride in the introduction of the new feature that overcomes language, literacy, and accessibility barriers.

Although the travel portal previously offered language support in Hindi and Tamil, it was in text format and did not gain traction due to the complexity of regional language keyboards.

According to him, the new voice-assisted booking feature addresses these issues by using simple visual cues and voice commands in native Indian languages. He went on to say that the collaboration with Microsoft using Generative AI is expected to change the landscape of travel bookings in the future.

According to Sangeeta Bavi, Executive Director of Digital Natives at Microsoft India, the collaboration between MakeMyTrip and Microsoft, which combines the former's expertise with the latter's AI capabilities, including Microsoft Azure OpenAI Service, will make travel more inclusive and accessible for travelers across India, with trust and security at the core.

Furthermore, the service will provide partners with a summary of hotel reviews that extract unique traveler impressions specific to various groups, such as solo travelers, business travelers, couples, families, and others.