MakeMyTrip has partnered with the Ministry of Tourism to encourage Indian travellers to explore “Incredible India” through more than 350 guided tours spanning over 60 cities, now bookable on its platform starting Independence Day, August 15, with the catalogue expected to expand further over time. The partnership is centred on the idea that India is best understood not merely through the places travellers visit, but through the stories carried by local guides—stories that have largely remained outside the reach of online discovery and booking.
Aligned with the broader vision of “Incredible India” and “Dekho Apna Desh,” the collaboration aims to inspire Indians to experience the country’s diversity across heritage, culture, spirituality, cuisine, festivals and monuments, guided by local experts along the way. While guided tours led by local specialists have long appealed to travellers, they have traditionally remained difficult to plan or book in advance, often relying on on-arrival word of mouth, semi-transparent pricing, or ad hoc arrangements tacked onto broader trip plans.
Travellers can now book a wide range of guided experiences across India through the platform. Options include a tea-tasting session through Palampur’s tea estates, a heritage play and kite-flying display in Agra, a nighttime walk through Mussoorie’s colonial lanes on “The Mussoorie Ghost’s Walk,” and a sunrise experience along the Ganges followed by evening Aarti in Varanasi through the “Sacred Ganges Immersion” tour. For travellers interested in everyday local life, the catalogue includes a Kolkata street photography tour, a village walking tour with high tea at a local home in Saligao, Goa, and a hands-on block-printing session with artisans in Jaipur. More unconventional experiences are also featured, including an electric cycle ride through Goa’s Salvador Do Mundo route and a walking tour through Mumbai’s Dharavi Slum, Dhobi Ghat, Dabbawalla network and India Gateway. In total, the tours span walking, cycling, vehicle-based and multi-day formats across more than 60 cities, with prices starting at INR 500.
This guided tours initiative falls under MakeMyTrip’s broader tours and attractions business, which already brings museums, heritage walks, treks, safaris and cultural sites across India onto its platform—ranging from a barbecue and stargazing night in Ladakh’s Nubra Valley to a shikara ride in Srinagar.
Union Minister of Tourism & Culture Gajendra Singh Shekhawat said local guides, experts and communities form the backbone of India’s tourism value chain, adding that this partnership gives them a direct opportunity to connect with travellers and share India’s stories. He called on travellers, on the occasion of Independence Day, to return home not just as visitors but as storytellers carrying a piece of India’s heritage forward.
Rajesh Magow, Executive Director & Group CEO of MakeMyTrip, said India has never lacked stories worth telling, but travellers previously lacked an easy way to discover and book them the same way they book flights or hotels. He noted that the partnership with the Ministry of Tourism places local guides and experts at the centre of the experience, while also offering an opportunity to showcase these journeys through curated and user-generated content for a more authentic, end-to-end travel experience.