How messaging is reshaping traveler engagement and booking behavior
Nov 4, 2025
Travel companies are increasingly using WhatsApp to communicate with customers across the entire travel journey — from inspiration and booking to support and post-stay engagement. High user adoption, immediacy and personal feel have driven strong ROI and rapid audience growth for brands using the platform strategically.
Key takeaways
- Mass adoption drives relevance: With more than 3 billion users globally, WhatsApp allows travel brands to meet customers where they already spend time.
- From communication to commerce: Companies now use WhatsApp for confirmations, updates, customer service, marketing, upselling and even booking flows.
- HolidayPirates case study: Switching to WhatsApp Channels grew its subscriber base to over 625,000, driving faster engagement and higher ROI than email.
- MakeMyTrip integrates across the journey: MMT uses WhatsApp from trip inspiration through post-travel, enhancing personalization and performance.
- AI-enabled chat experiences emerging: Platforms like Replyr.ai use AI agents to handle inquiries, pull data and escalate complex issues, especially in Asian markets where WhatsApp dominates.
- Constraints remain: Lack of segmentation and default notification settings pose challenges for retention and personalized messaging.
- Future direction: Meta aims to deepen WhatsApp’s business capabilities, including AI support, integrated browsing and booking, and simpler onboarding for travel brands.
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