• By Alex David
  • Tue, 19 Aug 2025 11:37 PM (IST)
  • Source:JND

AI is popping up in just about every service these days, from doctor’s appointments to banking, so of course, it’s getting in on travel too. India’s biggest travel site, MakeMyTrip, just rolled out Myra, an AI chatbot that claims it can take the hassle out of planning, booking, and dreaming of vacations.

Instead of clicking from one site to another for flights, hotels, and activities, you just text Myra, and the travel ideas fly in. The sales pitch is that you save time and headaches. But can Myra make vacations that easy and quick?

Accessibility and Visibility: The First Hurdle

The biggest challenge with Myra is finding the chatbot itself.

On the laptop, it is hidden in a link for “Where2Go.” No one would guess an AI is waiting behind that plain title, and anyone browsing for the first time might never even click it. If a chatbot is meant to cut the clutter of planning, you’d think it would be the first thing you see, not a footnote.

On a phone, the link is a little more visible, but the wording still sounds vague and sounds like another travel blog. You can see it’s an option, but you’re not sure what it does.

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When every click counts and people expect things to just work, hiding Myra’s smart tile at the bottom of the screen is a missed chance. A bright banner on the top page or a subtle “Let Me Plan” slide within the ticket purchase list would’ve made a world of difference, nudging more people to try her without second-guessing.

User Experience: Smooth but Imperfect

Once you manage to locate Myra, the experience of chatting with the AI feels refreshingly straightforward. Users can:

  • Ask about destinations.
  • Set a budget range.
  • Get curated recommendations for flights, hotels, and activities.

The chatbot hits the right balance: fast replies that sound natural and a checklist that’s way easier than the screen of sliders and open tabs most sites ask for.

Strength: Discovery and Inspiration

Where Myra truly shines is in its ability to suggest destinations travellers might not have considered. For instance, it may highlight an international getaway or a hidden domestic gem that matches your preferences. This element of discovery is valuable, especially for:

  • First-time international travellers.
  • Casual holiday planners who don’t have a fixed destination in mind.
  • Busy professionals seeking quick, inspiration-driven recommendations.

Budgeting Woes: The Weakest Link

Despite its strengths, Myra struggles with budget accuracy.

Take the couple heading for Thailand on a ₹60,000 budget, for instance. Myra pushed ₹40,000 flight options, leaving only ₹20,000 for sleep, meals, and things to do. Anyone who has travelled knows that it barely pays for a decent week, let alone a trip won on the postcard stamps.

This shows that Myra prioritises flight recommendations over a balanced itinerary, often compromising the overall feasibility of the trip. For a chatbot positioned as an end-to-end planner, this is a major flaw.

Strengths of Myra AI

  • Convenience: All trip essentials — flights, hotels, and activities — consolidated into one conversational interface.
  • Reduced Complexity: No need to juggle multiple filters, search results, or comparison tabs.
  • Curated Suggestions: AI recommendations are fairly relevant and helpful for undecided travellers.

Limitations and Concerns

  • Poor placement: Hidden under “Where2Go,” making it easy to miss.
  • Budget Issues: Inaccurate or impractical cost allocations reduce reliability.
  • Basic Features: Frequent flyers or budget-savvy travellers may find it too simplistic.

Who Should Use Myra?

Myra is best suited for:

  • First-time travellers who want an easy entry point into trip planning.
  • Casual holidaymakers who prioritise speed over meticulous comparisons.
  • Users who dislike complex booking processes and endless filtering.

However, frequent travellers or those on a strict budget may find the chatbot limiting. Until the budgeting logic improves and the tool becomes more visible, manual searches remain a safer bet for serious planners.

Verdict: A Promising Start That Needs Work

MakeMyTrip’s Myra chatbot is a promising addition to the travel platform. It makes travel planning conversational, less overwhelming, and more inspiring with its destination suggestions.

But it still plays hide-and-seek on the desktop and can get budgeting wrong in a hurry. At the moment, it’s a backup for the lazy among us, and the backup still needs a good overhaul before it can outsmart the old-school mouse-tapping pros we call serious planners.

In a nutshell: great for “Hey, where should we go next?” and “What flight is on sale?” but still can’t be trusted to hold the family’s entire travel paycheck.