The First and Leading, By-Invitation Only, Luxury Travel Conference of India
Since 2021, ILLUME has emerged as India’s foremost high-end travel and luxury intelligence conference, uniting the world’s most influential industry leaders, visionaries, and decision-makers.
Inside the World of Luxury: Trends, Influence, and the Future of Affluent Travel in India
ILLUME 2025 opened the doors to an exclusive conversation on how India’s high-net-worth travellers are transforming the global luxury landscape. From the rise of experiential over material indulgence, to the power of milestone celebrations and bespoke travel design, the conference examined what truly moves the modern Indian affluent. With panelists ranging from global hoteliers and luxury strategists to wedding visionaries and cultural experts, ILLUME offered a front-row seat to the future of luxury—where India is no longer an emerging market, but a leading voice shaping global demand.
- Opening Remark by Sheetal Rastogi, Founder of Luxury Tribe
- 3 Insight-Driven Panel Conversations
- How to Promote Non-Traditional Destinations to Indian Affluent Travellers
- The Destination Wedding Boom: How International Hotels & DMCs Can Win Big With Indian Weddings
- The Indian Luxury Traveller: What Drives Their Choices & The Role Of Luxury Travel Advisors
- Launch of Trend Report “Next Frontier: India’s Luxury Travel Trends 2025 By Luxury Tribe” presented by Khushboo Rastogi, Founder of Luxury Tribe
- ILLUME Panels Capturing the Global Perspective
- Panel 1: Decoding India’s Luxury Boom: Global impact & Consumer Insights
- Panel 2: Global Perspectives on Luxury — Attracting India’s Affluent Travellers
- Panel 3: The Indian Wedding Boom – Crafting Wedding Experiences
- Panel 4: The New Codes of Luxury: How India’s Affluent Define Exclusivity
Founder:
Sheetal Rastogi
Sheetal Rastogi is the founder of ‘Luxury Tribe’ and Editorial Director of ‘World Travel Magazine’. With over 24 years of experience, she has held leadership & management roles in media, publishing & technology businesses in Singapore and India.
Sheetal launched World Travel Magazine in Southeast Asia in 2009 & in India in 2024. Her passion for travel has inspired her to co-found World Travel Magazine and now Luxury Tribe.
Moderator:
Rajan Datar
Award-winning, versatile & well-known broadcaster, journalist, moderator (and musician) spanning three decades of current affairs, arts, business and documentary presenting, reporting and producing for the BBC. Moderator of numerous conferences around the world from Brazil to Bulgaria in travel and the arts including UNWTO, WTTC, Cheltenham Literary Festival and the Hay Literary Festival over the last 20 years
Topic: Decoding India’s Luxury Boom: Global Impact and Consumer Insights
Talking points:
- Cross-Border Spending: Where Are India’s UHNWIs Opening Their Wallets
- Spending Patterns Beyond the Metros: An Untapped Opportunity
- Strategic Advice: What’s Next for Global Luxury Brands Targeting India
Panel:
Manoj Adlakha
Founder and CEO, RedBeryl Lifestyle Services Pvt Ltd
Manoj Adlakha is a visionary leader with over three decades of experience with renowned organizations like American Express and Visa International. Known for his passion for luxury lifestyle management and strategic expertise, Manoj drives the mission of RedBeryl Lifestyle Services to deliver unforgettable experiences. Under his leadership, RedBeryl transcends the ordinary.
Sridhar Keppurengan
Head of Cross Border payments – India and South Asia, Visa
Sridhar leads Cross Border payments for VISA in India and South Asia and has over 20 years of experience in financial services, fintech, payments, and consulting both globally and in India. He likes to describe himself as an entrepreneurial business leader focused on driving high growth though New Business / Product development, Data analytics and Partnerships.
Topic: Global Perspectives on Luxury: Attracting India’s Affluent Travellers
Talking points:
- Managing Indian Affluent Guests: Insights from Experience
- Bridging the Gap: From Awareness to Desire for Indian Travellers
- Trends in High-Net-Worth Spending: A Global Perspective
- Sustainability as a Luxury Differentiator
Panel:
Ashish Sanghrajka
President of Big Five Tours & Expeditions (Big Five)
A leading experiential supplier specializing in luxury and adventure travel to 44 global destinations across Africa, Asia, Latin America and the South Pacific. Sanghrajka’s success to date is recognized by several awards and accolades and most notably through his active involvement in the Word Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) as a Regional Member,
Virtuoso’s Sustainability Council and as an Advisory Board Member for the Family Travel Association.
Judith Lagat
Commercial Director at Cheli & Peacock Safaris
With over 30 years in the tourism industry, Judith Lagat currently serves as the Commercial Director at Cheli & Peacock Safaris. Her dynamic and analytical leadership style prioritizes a strong customer focus and meticulous attention to detail. Judith’s extensive knowledge of the East African tourism landscape is invaluable.
Penny Rafferty
Executive Chair, Luxury Lodges of Australia
Penny Rafferty is Executive Chair, Luxury Lodges of Australia and has led the association since it was established in January 2010. This collective voice of independently owned and operated lodges and camps across Australia helped shape and define Australia’s high-end experiential travel. Penny is a director on the Board of Tourism Tasmania and serves on the Condé Nast Traveler Global Advisory Board. She is also a Mentor for The Conscious Travel Foundation and has served on the Virtuoso Sustainability Council 2022-2024. Penny led the development of Tourism Australia’s premium and luxury strategy 2017-2020.
Topic: The Indian Wedding Boom: Crafting Wedding Experiences
Talking points:
- The Evolution of Ultra-Luxury Celebrations
- Key Trends Shaping the Future of Luxury Weddings
- Insights on Budget and Spending Behaviour
Panel:
Vandana Mohan
Founder, The Wedding Design Company
With over three decades of experience in the industry, Vandana Mohan founded The Wedding Design Company and put the grandeur of Indian weddings on the world map.
The Wedding Design Company has successfully planned, designed, and executed weddings across 20 cities in India and 35 plus international destinations. With a prestigious clientele of over 500, which include celebrities and HNI families in India and abroad, WDC is known for crafting unforgettable celebrations. Team WDC’s signature style of weddings is immersive and all about the Experience!
Topic: The New Codes of Luxury: How India’s Affluent Define Exclusivity
Talking points:
- Understanding the Modern Indian HNI: Aspirations and Expectations
- Global vs. Local Perspectives on Luxury
- The Future of Luxury in India: Opportunities and Challenges
Panel:
Louis Sailer
Senior Executive Vice President, The Imperial New Delhi
Recognized as an authority in the luxury hospitality industry, Louis Sailer is renowned for his unwavering commitment to excellence, crafting bespoke customer-centric experiences that set new benchmarks in service standards. With a distinguished career spanning continents, he has successfully transformed and led some of the world’s most prestigious hotels and luxury brands across multiple countries.
Neville Tuli
Founder Trustee, Tuli Research Centre for India Studies
Writer, Archivist, Entrepreneur & Educator
Tuli is a pioneering cultural-institution builder who has recently opened his vast visual-textual-audio knowledge-base and Search Engine on India Studies to the public after thirty years of dedicated archiving, collecting, research and study. This knowledge-base and its free public access will radically redefine the nature of learning and education for India Studies globally.
Topic: How To Promote Non-Traditional Destinations To Indian Affluent Travellers
Panel:
Sanjar Imam
Founder & Director, Panache World
Ambitions ‘to explore the globe & learn’ lead him into entering the world of travel 37 years ago. His experiences range from having organized spiritual journeys to Tibet & Egypt to Round The World Trip on a chartered jet and from organising elaborate weddings to managing travels for the Royal Family in Britain. Over the years, Panache World has been recognized as a niche travel designer and is a part of several luxury networks including Serandipians and its clientele is spread across the geography of the world.
Nagsri Sashidhar
Chief Happiness Officer, NAGSRI – Creating Special Memories
She runs her own boutique bespoke travel company by the name NAGSRI – Creating Special Memories where she prefers to be called the CHO – The Chief Happiness Officer since February 2019 with a focus purely on experiences and exploring the lesser known areas.
Pritish Shah
Founder & CEO, A Travel Duet
After completing his Masters in Tourism from Bournemouth University, UK, Pritish Shah opened his little black book, set out to explore the world and started off A Travel Duet in 2013, where he curated remarkable, bespoke travel experiences for couples around the globe, changing the way you travel, one trip at a time.
Topic: The Destination Wedding Boom: How International Hotels & DMCs Can Win Big With Indian Weddings
Panel:
Bhavnesh Sawhney
Founder, FB Celebrations
Bhavnesh Sawhney is a master at curating events that leave a lasting impression. Bhavnesh’s creativity and artistic flair are the driving forces behind FB Celebrations’ success. His entrepreneurial journey is a testament to his visionary approach to delivering bespoke events to esteemed clients for clients like Sonam Kapoor, Shriya Saran, and Nidhi Dutta, daughter of director JP Dutta and Bindya Goswami, as well as having international celebrities perform at events curated by him such as Jennifer Lopez, Nicole Scherzinger, Jay Z, and Chris Martin in the erstwhile company.
Divya Chadha
Director, A Klass Apart
With over 20 years of global experience in the luxury destination wedding industry. Known for her sharp business acumen and no-nonsense approach, she has planned high-profile weddings across the world—from Italian castles to private islands in Thailand. A trusted expert for luxury brands and hoteliers targeting the elite Indian market, Divya is also a speaker, mentor, and regular feature in top media outlets like The Times UK, Brides Today, and The Economic Times.
Topic: The Indian Luxury Traveller: What Driver Their Choices & The Role Of Luxury Travel Advisors?
Panel:
Loveleen Multani Arun
Founder Director, Panache World
Loveleen Arun has had diversified experience in the hotel and travel industry. Recognized by several global networks like Traveller Made, she is one the premier Luxury Travel advisors in India today. Her strong points are immensely intimate & first-hand destination knowledge and long-term bonds & relationships with industry colleagues around the world.
Radhika Khanijo
Founder & Private Travel Designer, Welgrow Travels
Radhika Khanijo is the visionary founder & experience curator of Welgrow Travels, a bespoke travel company specializing in curating exceptional luxury experiences across the globe. Under her leadership, Welgrow Travels has established itself as a trusted name in luxury travel, designing tailor-made itineraries that cater to the evolving aspirations of discerning travelers.
Sanjay Arya
CEO, KFT Corporation
KFT Corporation a leading travel agency dealing with UHNI and HNI in Mumbai and other parts of India. Part of Serandipians Consortia and 2 times winner of the Annual Award of Serandipians for Supplier Knowledge chosen by Suppliers. Been on the MC of TAFI for many years Recently appointed by Marriot Hotels as an Advisor for APAC for 1 year.
Vinitaa Rawat
Founder and Director Amazing Vacations
Vinitaa Rawat, brings over 25 years of unparalleled expertise to the travel and tourism industry. From a young age, she propelled her family’s business, the AK Group, to new heights, including AK International (GSA Egyptair in India), AK Travel and Tours, and her passion project, Amazing Vacations – a bespoke luxury travel division. A recognized figure within the tourism community, she is valued for her insightful advice and trendsetting vision.
About Illume, Luxury Tribe & World Travel Magazine:
Luxury Tribe is an exclusive, by-invitation-only marketplace that connects the world’s most renowned hospitality brands with India’s most sought-after yet hard-to-reach high-net-worth travellers. Organised by Southeast Asia’s leading luxury travel and lifestyle publication, World Travel Magazine, the exclusive three-day-event offers unprecedented access to India’s top travel designers and buyers while its conference component, ILLUME, offers ahead-of- the-curve, expert-led travel intelligence briefings and workshops.
Luxury Tribe:
The exclusive Luxury Tribe event scheduled for 11-13 March in India’s Capital – New Delhi promises to be a one-of-a-kind luxury travel trade extravaganza. With exhibitors from across the globe, this intimate event showcases the crème de la crème of the luxury travel industry.
ILLUME:
ILLUME is a luxury travel industry conference of Luxury Tribe, that is focused on providing insights and opportunities for companies looking to target India’s affluent consumers.
World Travel Magazine:
Southeast Asia’s & India’s leading consumer luxury travel & lifestyle magazine, World Travel Magazine, presents the best luxury travel experiences to its ultra-affluent readers. Available in print and online, the elite travel specialist for all-encompassing luxury vacations covers the latest stunning openings, dream destinations, quintessential travel tips and tastemakers sourced by its roving team of editors and experts, making the publication an essential resource for luxury travel connoisseurs.
