The Indian traveller is no longer who the industry thinks they are. They are younger, more impulsive, more digitally fluent, and increasingly unwilling to be boxed into outdated assumptions about budget travel and predictable itineraries.
They book late, spend more, and expect experiences that feel curated rather than commodified. And nowhere is this shift more visible than in Thailand, a market that has quietly become one of the most important testing grounds for how Indian outbound travel is evolving.
In conversation with Amit Garg, Regional Director of MakeMyTrip in Thailand, a clear picture emerges: one of a traveller in transition, and an industry being reshaped in response. Drawing on his vantage point, the insights that follow reflect how this transformation is playing out on the ground.
“At its core, travel decision-making has fundamentally changed,” he explains. “What began as a pandemic-driven shift has now become a long-term behavioural reset.”
Based in Thailand, Amit sits at the intersection of Indian demand and Southeast Asian supply, giving him a front-row view of how both sides are evolving. What follows is how that shift is taking shape.
Over the past five years, the COVID-19 pandemic has not only disrupted travel but redefined it. Indian tourists who once prioritised price and convenience now view travel through a more nuanced lens, focused on safety, flexibility, value, and above all, experience.
Due to this, we notice a structural shift in how frequently Indians travel, and particularly, how they travel. Instead of one long annual holiday, Amit notes a clear rise in shorter, more frequent trips.
The change is being driven in large part by Gen Z, a cohort that approaches travel with a markedly different mindset: spontaneous, discovery-led, and digitally native.
“They are not just looking to go somewhere,” Amit clarifies. “They want to do something meaningful when they get there.”
This shift, from transactional to experiential travel, is perhaps the single most important force shaping the industry today, and it is redefining everything from booking timelines to destination marketing.
Few destinations illustrate this evolution as clearly as Thailand. With 2.4 million Indian arrivals recorded in 2025, Thailand has cemented itself as one of the most preferred international destinations for Indian travellers.
Amit points out that Thailand’s appeal lies in a combination of structural advantages, such as visa-free entry, strong air connectivity from 19 Indian cities, and well-developed tourism infrastructure, making it both accessible and adaptable. But accessibility alone does not explain the surge.
“The demand is being driven by a new traveller profile: young couples, Gen Z explorers and, increasingly, corporate groups seeking high-value incentive travel experiences. For these segments, Thailand offers a rare combination of affordability and diversity encompassing beaches, nightlife, wellness, culture, and luxury, all within a short-haul flight,” he shares.
For MakeMyTrip, this makes Thailand not just a high-volume market, but a strategically critical one.
Historically, Indian travel to Thailand has been concentrated in a handful of destinations, including Bangkok, Phuket, and Pattaya. But that is beginning to change.
In partnership with stakeholders, including the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), MakeMyTrip has been actively working to expand this narrative, promoting emerging destinations such as Chiang Mai and Koh Samui.
The timing is deliberate. With India’s internet user base surging to nearly one billion, digital discovery is playing a far greater role in shaping travel choices.
Travellers are no longer limited to familiar destinations; they are exploring, researching, and booking based on inspiration rather than habit.
“The interest in newer locations is growing steadily,” Amit says. “And that’s where we see the next phase of growth coming from.”
One of the most persistent misconceptions in the Thai tourism industry, Amit points out, is the tendency to treat Indian travellers as a homogeneous group. In reality, the market is becoming increasingly segmented.
There are young couples and Gen Z travellers seeking Instagram-worthy, experience-led holidays. Families are looking for convenience, flexibility, and value.
Corporate groups driving MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions) travel. And newer segments, such as women-only groups and senior travellers, are gaining significant traction.
Across these segments, expectations are rising. Travellers are no longer satisfied with generic packages. They want curated itineraries, personalised experiences, and higher-quality accommodations.
Many are also trading up, showing a greater willingness to spend on premium stays and unique experiences.
“The idea that Indian travellers are purely price-sensitive is outdated,” Amit says. “There is a large and growing segment that is willing to pay for quality and personalisation.”
This evolution is also changing how trips are planned. While value for money remains important, Indian travellers today are increasingly experience-led rather than deal-driven.
The decision-making process is more research-intensive, with travellers comparing options, reading reviews, and seeking out unique experiences before booking.
Gen Z, in particular, is shaping this behaviour. Highly digital and globally aware, they are more open to experimenting with destinations, activities, and even cuisines.
This has implications not just for travel platforms, but for the entire ecosystem of hotels, airlines, and local experience providers.
Interestingly, the shift toward experience-led travel has not resulted in a single dominant booking pattern but two distinct group behaviours emerging. The first being families and honeymooners who continue to book well in advance, prioritising planning, availability, and curated experiences.
The second group, consisting of younger travellers, full of couples and friend groups, operates differently. They lean into more last-minute bookings, enabled by visa-free travel and strong flight connectivity.
This duality reflects a broader increase in traveller confidence. The ability to book spontaneously, without compromising on experience, signals both trust in the destination and a willingness to spend.
At its core, travel decision-making has fundamentally changed…
What began as a pandemic-driven shift has now become a long-term behavioural reset.
In a market like Thailand, MakeMyTrip operates alongside global heavyweights such as Agoda and Booking.com. Yet Amit is clear about where the company’s competitive advantage lies.
“Our core strength is our deep understanding of Indian travellers,” he says.
This insight allows MakeMyTrip to tailor its offerings from curated recommendations to features like the ‘Loved by Indians’ tag. This creates experiences that resonate more directly with its primary audience.
It also positions the platform as more than just a booking engine.
“We are a travel super app,” Amit adds. “We bring flights, hotels, and experiences together in one place, allowing users to compare and choose based on their needs.”
At the same time, the company plays a crucial intermediary role, helping airlines and hotel partners connect with the right customers through data-driven targeting and marketing.
If the past five years have been defined by behavioural change, the next phase of transformation will likely be driven by technology, particularly artificial intelligence.
According to Amit, AI is already reshaping the travel journey, with the most significant impact seen in the discovery and planning stages. From personalised recommendations to conversational trip planning, technology is making it easier for travellers to move from inspiration to booking.
For platforms like MakeMyTrip, this represents a fundamental shift in role.
“We are evolving from being a booking platform to becoming a full travel companion,” he says.
This includes not only helping users choose destinations and itineraries, but also providing real-time support throughout the journey, enhanced by 24/7, AI-driven customer service.
Despite its strong positioning, Thailand still has room to better align with the needs of Indian travellers, particularly as the market becomes more premium and experience-driven.
Amit points to a few key areas: more authentic Indian food options, larger family-friendly accommodations, and amenities such as kitchenettes and bathtubs that cater to long-stay travellers.
More broadly, there is an opportunity to move beyond surface-level customisation and focus on culturally relevant, thoughtfully designed experiences.
“Comfort and familiarity matter,” he says. “But so does authenticity.”
Looking ahead, Amit sees a travel landscape that is increasingly personalised, seamless, and AI-driven. In this future, booking a trip will no longer be a fragmented process.
Instead, it will be managed through intelligent, conversational platforms that integrate planning, booking, and on-ground experiences into a single, continuous journey. For online travel agencies, the challenge and opportunity will be to evolve accordingly.
“The role of platforms like ours will be to act as intelligent travel companions,” Garg says. “From inspiration to return, we will be there at every step.”
If the Indian traveller has changed, so too must the systems built to serve them. And in markets like Thailand, where scale meets experimentation, that transformation is already well underway.