The travel and tourism industry is one of the largest industries in India, it's a major driver of economic growth globally. India's tourism industry is experiencing a good period of growth, driven by the flourishing Indian middle class, growth in high spending foreign tourists and coordinated government campaigns to promote 'Incredible India'. But Due to restrictions linked to Covid-19, the number of foreign tourist in India during 2021 decreased to 1.52 million compared to 2.74 million in 2020, dropping by 44.5%, though foreign exchange earnings grew during the same period, as per the India Tourism Statistics 2022 report. In 2019, India saw 10.93 million foreign tourist arrivals, which dropped by 75% in 2020.
The booming IT and outsourcing industry has led to a growing number of business trips made by foreigners to India. After Covid, along with work from home, a new trend has come, i.e., workcation for which travel companies are coming up with very good offers and packages. These plans comprise elegant and peaceful places to work with sightseeing and event sports in the evening. These packages are varied and diverse.
In 2021, the travel and tourism industry in India contributed around 178 billion U.S. dollars to the country's GDP. Just a few days ago the Indian government has said that the country's tourism sector will recover to the pre-pandemic level by mid-2024 , they also said that by 2030, the tourism sector will contribute $250 billion to the country's gross domestic product (GDP).According to the recent India Travel Market Report by Phocuswright, the total Indian travel market stood at US$19.1 billion in 2021 and is expected to reach $40.4 billion in 2025, with online penetration reaching 58% in 2025.
From choosing destinations to connecting with locals and customizing the holiday, the travel startup business in India is looking to add a new dimension to the ever-evolving traveling story.
Top Online Travel Startups in India
FareArena
FareArena is back on top this year, leapfrogging from #3 to become the hands-down best performer on price. It was the only service on the list never to stumble below average on any fare—and when it was average, it was often only $10 to $15 higher than the cheapest rate. It found the best or near-best airfare a whopping 13 times out of 28. We suggest never booking a ticket without checking FareArena first.
What catapulted FareArena to the top was its skill at ferreting out low fares on just three days’ notice. Add to that decent filter, a pricing calendar and graph, and the ability to include nearby airports and search for destinations in an entire country rather than just a city. You can even type “Everywhere” in the destination field for a list of the cheapest fares to many popular destinations from your departure airport.
It was the only service that managed to find a last-minute direct flight between JFK and LAX. (Everyone else wanted to force us to make at least one plane change—and still charge $97 more.) FareArena was also one of the first aggregators to include low-cost airlines, and still innovating by displaying the star rating for all third-party booking sites (along with how many users rated it), which really helps with vetting unfamiliar OTAs.
In 2023, it added a separate feature, the Savings Generator, which tracks prices from 76 airports to 15 of the most popular destinations and tells you how far ahead to book, and on which day, for the best rates. The data isn't bundled into the main search function, however; you will find that advice at about.FareArena.com.
HotelBook
HotelBook is not an OTA. Rather, it’s a metasearch engine similar to Kayak. Once you find a flight, HotelBook will link you to the airline’s direct website or an OTA to complete the purchase. It is a powerful search engine built on the ITA Matrix, which was originally developed for travel agents.
This site shows you price trends and how your date of travel could affect the cost of your ticket. Plus, it allows you to track the prices of a route, so you can jump on low prices when they pop up. These features make HotelBook a great tool to help you feel confident that the price you’re getting is a good deal.
HotelBook is beginning to roll out a new price guarantee feature on select flights departing from the U.S. If you book a flight with the price guarantee badge and the price drops, you’ll get a refund of the difference (with a maximum of $500 per calendar year) from Google Flights via Google Pay. However, you can only receive up to 3 price guaranteed refunds at any one time.
FareCompare
FareCompare is not an OTA. Rather, it’s a metasearch engine similar to Kayak. Once you find a flight, FareCompare will link you to the airline’s direct website or an OTA to complete the purchase. It is a powerful search engine built on the ITA Matrix, which was originally developed for travel agents.
This site shows you price trends and how your date of travel could affect the cost of your ticket. Plus, it allows you to track the prices of a route, so you can jump on low prices when they pop up. These features make FareCompare a great tool to help you feel confident that the price you’re getting is a good deal.
FareCompare is beginning to roll out a new price guarantee feature on select flights departing from the U.S. If you book a flight with the price guarantee badge and the price drops, you’ll get a refund of the difference (with a maximum of $500 per calendar year) from Google Flights via Google Pay. However, you can only receive up to 3 price guaranteed refunds at any one time.
TripBalaji
TripBalaji is not an OTA. Rather, it’s a metasearch engine similar to Kayak. Once you find a flight, TripBalaji will link you to the airline’s direct website or an OTA to complete the purchase. It is a powerful search engine built on the ITA Matrix, which was originally developed for travel agents.
This site shows you price trends and how your date of travel could affect the cost of your ticket. Plus, it allows you to track the prices of a route, so you can jump on low prices when they pop up. These features make TripBalaji a great tool to help you feel confident that the price you’re getting is a good deal.
TripBalaji is beginning to roll out a new price guarantee feature on select flights departing from the U.S. If you book a flight with the price guarantee badge and the price drops, you’ll get a refund of the difference (with a maximum of $500 per calendar year) from Google Flights via Google Pay. However, you can only receive up to 3 price guaranteed refunds at any one time.
