Booking.com to expand its presence in India with focus on capturing next billion traveller, ET TravelWorld

World’s leading provider of online travel and related services Booking.com is looking to expand its presence in India, with a focus on capturing the next billion travellers in the country. In a recent interview with ETTravelWorld, Laura Houldsworth, Managing Director of Asia Pacific at Booking.com discussed the company’s strategy for growth, including supporting and capitalising on India’s rapid growth, and highlighted trends in the industry such as immersive cultural experiences, alternative accommodation, and sustainability. She also shed light on Booking.com’s growth strategies in India and the broader Asia Pacific region. Expanding presence in India
Houldsworth expressed Booking.com’s enthusiasm for expanding its footprint in India, citing the country’s rapid growth in the travel industry. She stated, “We’ve seen travel the continued rise of travel across Asia Pacific globally, and they’re watching the eyes on India is really amazing. Having seen obviously the slowdown with China, it’s literally all eyes have shifted to the Indian travellers.”

She highlighted several actionable strategies that Booking.com is implementing to drive growth. “We continue to drive our initiatives forward. We continue to drive Connected Trip, which is really the center of where we believe the future is and that’s powered around, obviously centralised payments. It’s about different verticals coming together. It’s also centered around mobile, and certainly AI,” Houldsworth added.

She also revealed that Booking.com is soon going to launch its trip planner feature in the US, UK and Asia.

Local relevance
Maintaining that local relevance is crucial for Booking.com, the Booking.com Asia Pacific MD highlighted that they have teams on the ground across major Indian cities like Mumbai, Delhi, and Bangalore. “So, we maintain our teams here on the ground in India, across Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore. Where we can contain and make sure are very relevant to our local partners here.”

Stressing on India’s importance for the company, Booking.com opened a new Center of Excellence located in Bengaluru. The second of the company’s Centers of Excellence to launch globally, it serves as a hub for specialised and highly skilled talent, leveraging industry best practices, supporting financial system and software development, and enabling collaboration opportunities across FinTech and other key functions for Booking Holdings and its brands, including: Booking.com, Priceline, Agoda, KAYAK, OpenTable and Rentalcars.com.

Houldsworth mentioned that the Bengaluru Centre of Execellence developed with a USD 250 million investment over next 5 years will generate over 1,000 jobs.

The company has also made available its content and booking services in Hindi language specifically designed for the needs of Indian travellers.

Travel trends in Asia Pacific
Houldsworth also discussed emerging travel trends in India, highlighting the growing demand for shorter trips, immersive cultural experiences, and alternative accommodations. She said there’s an increased desire, increased desire for different things like say the immersion in culture sleep tours. In Asia Pacific region, she said the growth of mobile use and advent of AI has clearly defined and changed how people travel.

“Booking.com has seen continued growth in the Asia Pacific region, with India being a key focus area due to its rapid growth and potential for exponential expansion. The company is excited about the opportunity to capture the attention of a new generation of Indian travellers and capitalise on the country’s USD 150 billion travel industry by 2032.”

Booking.com is committed to promoting sustainable travel options and providing visibility and transparency to travelers. Talking about the initiatives, Houldsworth said, “

Need for collaboration
Houldsworth during the conversation also emphasised the importance of collaborating with local trade associations, government entities, and on-ground partners. “Booking.com is working closely with local associations and partners to understand Indian travellers’ needs and maximise opportunities in the market,” she stated.

Looking ahead, Booking.com remains optimistic about the travel industry’s resilience and growth potential, particularly in the Asia Pacific region.