Celebrating 25 Years of MakeMyTrip: What Startups Can Learn from India’s Travel Pioneer

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This year, MakeMyTrip celebrates a major milestone: 25 years of being India’s trusted travel companion. From humble beginnings as a flight-booking platform for NRIs to becoming a full-stack travel giant, MakeMyTrip’s journey is a playbook in itself—packed with brand building, consumer trust, and smart marketing.

But what really stood out this year?
Their nostalgia-infused campaign celebrating their 25-year journey. It tugged at memories of our first train rides, family trips, and college tours. In today’s Startup Stoic newsletter, let’s break down how MakeMyTrip served every Indian’s travel needs, and how their branding strategy offers key lessons for startups across sectors.

The Story Behind the Journey

MakeMyTrip was founded in 2000 by Deep Kalra, primarily targeting Indian expats in the US who wanted to book flights to India. But as India's internet penetration grew, so did MMT's ambitions.

By the late 2000s, they were solving a very real problem: travel in India was disorganized. Bookings were done via agents, and planning a trip meant standing in long queues, unconfirmed tickets, and a lot of guesswork.

MMT streamlined this chaos. They brought transparency, price comparisons, hotel reviews, and eventually entire holiday packages—all into one digital ecosystem.

The 25-Year Campaign: A Masterclass in Emotional Marketing

To celebrate its milestone, MakeMyTrip rolled out a beautiful nostalgia-based campaign titled “Dil toh roaming hai”.

Instead of showcasing flashy destinations or luxury getaways, the campaign took us back to:

• That first solo trip with friends

• Getting lost on a college excursion

• Family vacations with matching T-shirts

• Early train journeys packed with snacks and stories

This campaign wasn’t about selling tickets. It was about celebrating travel as a cultural experience, deeply rooted in Indian emotion.

Why it worked:

• Relatable storytelling: The ads triggered memories, not bookings—and that made it powerful.

• Visual simplicity: Familiar locations and simple narratives made it instantly shareable.

• Brand consistency: Even after two decades, MakeMyTrip managed to remind us they’re part of our journey.

What Startups Can Learn from MMT’s Playbook

Whether you’re building a D2C brand, a SaaS tool, or a marketplace, there’s a lot to unpack from MakeMyTrip’s strategy:

1. Start with a Niche, Then Expand

MMT began with a hyper-specific focus—flight bookings for Indian expats. Once they nailed that, they expanded into domestic flights, hotels, buses, trains, holiday packages, and even visas.

Lesson: Start narrow. Serve that audience like no one else. Then scale intentionally.

2. Stay Culturally Rooted

Their success is not just in building tech but in understanding the cultural nuances of Indian travel—why families prefer trains, how people rely on reviews, and how cashback works better than discounts.

Lesson: Know your audience deeply. Build around their behaviors, not just trends.

3. Invest in Trust Before Scale

In the early days, people were hesitant to book flights online. MMT worked hard to create a reliable brand image—customer support, refund policies, 24/7 helplines.

Lesson: Trust is your first growth engine. Build it, protect it, and communicate it clearly.

4. Use Nostalgia Wisely

Their 25-year campaign didn’t focus on product upgrades. It focused on shared history. That kind of emotional branding doesn’t sell a feature—it builds a legacy.

Lesson: Tap into what your users have experienced, not just what they want. Nostalgia builds an instant connection.

5. Technology is the Enabler, Not the Hero

Despite being a digital-first company, MMT doesn’t market itself on tech features. Their value lies in how seamless, convenient, and trustworthy they make travel.

Lesson: Don’t over-index on tech lingo. Focus on the experience tech enables.

Final Boarding Call

As MMT enters its next chapter, the lesson for startups is clear: Longevity is built on evolving with your audience while staying true to their needs. Whether it's simplifying travel or telling stories that resonate, MakeMyTrip has mastered the art of brand memory.

So if you're building something today, ask yourself:

• How can you serve not just a need, but a memory?

• How will your brand stay relevant not just in the next quarter, but in the next decade?

It’s not just about moving people. It’s about moving with them.

Here’s to journeys—built with heart.

Startup News and Updates

Here are some Startup news stories that made headlines this week:

• Ballistic Ventures, led by Ted Schlein, is raising $100 million for a new fund. Link

• Turbine raises $22 million to enable venture capital investors access cash without selling their interests. Link

• Spy games in HR technology: Inside Rippling's crazy lawsuit against Deel. Link

Until next time,
The Startup Stoic Team