Synopsis

MakeMyTrip and the Ministry of Tourism have launched over 350 guided tours. These tours are now bookable on the MakeMyTrip platform starting August 15. The initiative aims to showcase India's diverse heritage and culture to travelers. Local experts will lead these unique experiences across more than sixty cities. This partnership seeks to inspire Indians to explore their own country.

MakeMyTrip and the Ministry of Tourism have launched over 350 guided tours. These tours are now bookable on the MakeMyTrip platform starting August 15 (Image for Representation)

New Delhi: MakeMyTrip has partnered with the Ministry of Tourism for more than 350 guided tours across 60+ cities, now bookable on its platform starting Independence Day, August 15, with the catalogue set to expand further.

The company said the partnership is aligned with the vision of “Incredible India” and “Dekho Apna Desh”, and that the tie-up aims to inspire Indians to travel and experience the country's diversity across its heritage, culture, spirituality, cuisine, festivals, and monuments, by walking the path with expert guides.

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The company said while these have appealed to travellers in the past, guided tours led by local experts have remained largely unavailable to plan or book in advance, often left to on-arrival word of mouth, semi-transparent pricing, or ad hoc add-ons to the rest of a trip.

Travellers can now book guided tours across India. The company said the catalogue also makes room for the unusual: an electric cycle ride through Goa on the Salvador Do Mundo Tour, and a walk through Mumbai's Dharavi Slum, Dhobi Ghat, Dabbawalla and India Gateway. In all, the tours span walking, cycling, vehicle-based and multi-day formats across 60+ cities, with prices from Rs 500.

The guided tours initiative sits within MakeMyTrip's tours and attractions business, which brings museums, heritage walks, treks, safaris and cultural sites across India onto the platform.

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Tourism minister Gajendra Singh said the guides, local experts and communities are the backbone of India's tourism value chain.

"This partnership gives them an opportunity to reach travellers directly and share India's stories. As we mark this Independence Day, I call upon every traveller to return not just as a visitor, but as a storyteller who carries a piece of India's heritage back to the world," he added.

Rajesh Magow, executive director and Group CEO, MakeMyTrip, said India has never been short of stories worth telling.

"What has been missing is a way for travellers to discover and book them as easily as they book a flight or a hotel," he said.

"Partnering with the Ministry of Tourism to inspire travellers towards these guided tours puts our guides and local experts at the centre of it. It also offers a broader opportunity to showcase these experiences through curated and user-generated content, delivering an authentic end-to-end journey for travellers," he added.