B'lore is big for MakeMyTrip.com

Bangalore is big, for MakeMyTrip.com, the online travel agency. Launching its regional office in the city earlier this week, Deep Kalra, founder and CEO revealed that Bangalore has been on the top of their markets, in terms of sale of flight tickets and booking of hotel rooms. Presently, Bangalore’s share of the company’s outbound market is 3%, which it hopes to double in the next two years, Mr Kalra said.

With Bangaloreans eagerly lapping up its services, MakeMyTrip.com also plans to raise its workforce from 600 now to 1,000. This means specifically more jobs for the city’s IT professionals.

Mr Kalra also revealed the company’s future plans of going in for an IPO. For the present, it has a 40% share in the online travel market. The online travel market is growing at a whopping annual rate of 51%. The travel and tourism market in Karnataka is likely to grow from Rs 1,300 crore in 2007 to Rs 2,500 crore by 2009. At the national level, the travel and tourism sector contributes nearly 6% to the GDP, apart from providing jobs to millions.