MakeMyTrip adds 350-plus guided tours across 60 Indian cities

MUMBAI: India’s travel story is getting a new tour guide. MakeMyTrip has partnered with the Ministry of Tourism to bring more than 350 guided tours across 60-plus Indian cities onto its online booking platform from 15 August, giving travellers a digital route to experiences rooted in local culture, heritage and communities.

The catalogue, which is expected to expand further, covers walking, cycling, vehicle-based and multi-day experiences, with prices starting at Rs 500. The offerings span heritage, spirituality, cuisine, festivals and monuments, putting locally led experiences alongside the flights and hotels travellers already book online.

The experiences range from a tea-tasting session in Palampur and a heritage play and kite-flying experience in Agra to a night walk through Mussoorie’s colonial lanes. In Varanasi, travellers can book a guided experience around the Ganges and the evening Aarti.

The catalogue also takes travellers off the conventional tourist trail. In Kolkata, there is a street photography tour, while Saligao in Goa offers a village walk with high tea at a local home. Jaipur features a block-printing session with artisans, while Goa also gets an electric cycle tour.

Mumbai’s offering brings together some of the city’s best-known sights and stories, with a walk covering Dharavi, Dhobi Ghat, Dabbawalla and the Gateway of India.

The initiative sits within MakeMyTrip’s tours and attractions business, which already features experiences including museums, heritage walks, treks, safaris and cultural sites. Existing offerings include barbecue and stargazing in Ladakh’s Nubra Valley and a shikara ride in Srinagar.

Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Minister of Tourism & Culture, said the partnership would give guides, local experts and communities an opportunity to reach travellers directly and share their stories, while encouraging visitors to take those stories beyond India.

For MakeMyTrip, the partnership is aimed at making locally rooted experiences as easy to discover and book as mainstream travel products. Rajesh Magow, Executive Director & Group CEO, MakeMyTrip, said the platform would also use curated and user-generated content to showcase these experiences.

MakeMyTrip and the Ministry of Tourism have also launched a joint campaign around the initiative, with a master film accompanying the announcement.

With more than 350 experiences across 60-plus cities going live on Independence Day, the partnership is effectively turning India’s local stories into bookable itineraries — one walk, ride, tasting and cultural encounter at a time.