Artificial Intelligence (AI) is driving significant advancements at travel technology company ixigo, enhancing customer experiences, predicting airfare trends, and increasing revenues.
Since its launch in 2007 by IIT Kanpur alumni Aloke Bajpai and Rajnish Kumar, ixigo has focused on simplifying travel planning for millions of users. Leveraging AI, the company introduced ‘PLAN’, a generative AI-based trip-planning tool, and ‘TARA’, an AI-powered customer service assistant.
Key Highlights
- AI-Driven Tools:
- PLAN: Ixigo’s generative AI tool has created over 282,700 personalized itineraries, helping users plan trips based on real-time data and preferences.
- TARA: Handles 87% of customer queries autonomously, managing 1,000 voice interactions daily with emotion recognition and multilingual capabilities.
- Traveler Insights:
- Popular international destinations include Dubai, Thailand, Singapore, and Maldives, driven by affordable fares and simplified visas.
- Domestically, spiritual travel dominates, with destinations like Ayodhya and Tirupati attracting 60% of users.
- 50% of users hail from Tier-II and Tier-III cities, showcasing growing travel interest from these regions.
- Revenue Growth:
- Ixigo’s operating revenue grew by 26% year-on-year in Q2 FY25 to ₹206.5 crore, following consistent growth since FY21.
- Between FY2020 and FY2023, revenue increased 4.5 times, establishing ixigo as India’s second-largest OTA by operating revenue in FY23.
- Innovation in Products:
- The AI-based ixigo Assured offers dynamic fee cancellations for flights, buses, and trains, tailored to user preferences and travel sectors.
Kumar reassured that AI would enhance efficiency without leading to layoffs, noting that ixigo remains a lean 500-member team achieving robust profitability and growth.
The integration of AI has solidified ixigo’s position as a trailblazer in India’s travel technology sector, empowering users and driving sustainable growth.
