After MakeMyTrip's recent and remarkable NASDAQ IPO, travel companies and investors are turning with renewed interest to India's online travel market. In one of the most successful offerings of the year, the country's leading online travel agency raised nearly USD 70 million in August 2010; many investors view the outcome as a solid indicator not only of the company's strength, but of the enormous potential of India's online travel space.

According to travel industry research authority, PhoCusWright, in its newly-published Indian Online Travel Overview Third Edition, the impact of the global recession was relatively small in India, and by 2012, nearly one third of travel industry gross bookings are expected to be completed online. The Indian travel marketplace totalled USD 15.8 billion in 2009, and is on track to grow to nearly USD 20 billion by 2011.

Ram Badrinathan, General Manager, Asia Pacific and Vice President, Learning Solutions, PhoCusWright said, "The overall Indian middle class growth story is sound. Together with all the infrastructure development that's happened around the Commonwealth Games, this has sharpened the focus on the country's, aviation, road, hospitality and travel space."

According to the company release, PhoCusWright's Indian Online Travel Overview Third Edition is a comprehensive analysis of India's dynamic travel marketplace, with a focus on an online channel that is increasingly driven by innovation and rapid technology adoption. The report is based in part on a series of in-depth interviews PhoCusWright conducted with key stakeholders in India's travel space, including airlines, car rental and taxi companies, hotels, online travel agencies, traditional travel agencies, tour operators, consolidators, and non-transactional travel websites. PhoCusWright's Indian Online Travel Overview Third Edition includes:

- Overview of fundamental market characteristics, technology adoption, Internet penetration, 3G availability, and other factors that are shaping India's online travel industry.
- Online and total market sizing, including segment analysis for air, car, hotel and rail.
- Discussion of key travel, tourism and hospitality infrastructure developments in the country, including new airports and nearly 55,000 new hotel rooms in the pipeline.
- Detailed examination of key players' travel suppliers, OTAs and other intermediaries that are most influential in the marketplace.
- Insight into underlying trends, including the emergence of media and mobile opportunity.