~ ixigo’s new film puts sheep-headed holidaymakers on a packed beach, then lets AI travel assistant TARA pull one traveller out of the crowd into a quieter escape. ~
Gurugram, September 2026: ixigo, India’s AI-native travel platform, has rolled out a video campaign with a blunt punchline — “Don’t follow the herd.” The hero is TARA, the brand’s conversational AI travel assistant, cast as the antidote to copy-paste holiday planning.
The film opens on a crowded beach of holidaymakers with sheep heads — a playful jab at herd tourism, where people pick destinations simply because everyone else is going there. One traveller opens the ixigo app, talks to TARA, and walks away from the crush toward a quieter seaside. As the crowd thins, the sheep head transforms back into a human face — the visual cue that personal preference has beaten peer pressure.
Ameya Velankar, Group SVP Marketing & PR, ixigo, said: “We have all had moments when we have picked a holiday destination simply because everyone else seems to be going there. With this film, we wanted to bring that behaviour to life in a playful, instantly recognisable way. The sheep are a humorous reminder of how often we let the crowd shape our choices. TARA opens up the possibility of starting with what you actually want from a trip. Whether that is a quieter escape or somewhere you had never considered, the idea is to help you discover a holiday that feels like your own.”
Beyond the gag, the campaign positions TARA as a conversational layer across the travel journey — helping users discover destinations, attractions, stays and experiences based on what they actually want, not what the crowd is booking.
Marketing take: ixigo isn’t selling another destination list — it’s selling permission to ignore the viral itinerary. By making herd behaviour look ridiculous, TARA becomes the smartest person on the beach.
