https://theluxurytribe.com/illume-conference-the-pinnacle-of-luxury-travel-dialogue/

ILLUME

Luxury Tribe’s premier ILLUME brings together brilliant minds shaping the next-gen travel in conversation with the senior international broadcast journalist. ILLUME aims to provide unparalleled insights into this rapidly evolving market with panel discussions led by experts shaping the future of India’s multibillion-dollar luxury travel & celebrations market.

Illume will be held on Day 1 of Luxury Tribe: India Spring/Summer 2023’, at The Leela Palace, Jaipur. This is the first time such a luxury travel trade event is taking place in India – there is excitement in the luxury travel trade community for this Luxury Tribe event & ILLUME.

Agenda

Spring-Summer-2023

2:00 PM IST (GMT+5.30 hrs)

Opening Remarks

2:45 PM IST (GMT+5.30 hrs)

The Evolution of Affluent India’s Consumer Market: Insights and Opportunities

3:30 PM IST (GMT+5.30 hrs)

Marketing to Indian Luxury Travelers: Navigating their Evolving Preferences & Cultural Considerations

4:15 PM IST (GMT+5.30 hrs)

Luxury Travel and Experiences for Indian Millennials and Gen Z

4:15 PM IST (GMT+5.30 hrs)

Luxury Travel and Experiences for Indian Millennials and Gen Z

5:45 P PM IST (GMT+5.30 hrs)

Short-Haul Getaway Trends: Expectations and Availability

6:30 P PM IST (GMT+5.30 hrs)

Personalisation in Luxury Hospitality: Delivering Unique Experiences to Indian Guests

Speakers

Sheetal Rastogi

Sheetal Rastogi is the founder of ‘Luxury Tribe’ and Editorial Director of ‘World Travel Magazine’. With over 23 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.

Rajan Datar

Award-winning, internationally recognised travelogue broadcaster, writer, conference moderator and speaker – and globe trotting musician too – spanning three decades. Has been lucky enough to enjoy some of the most authentic and unusual experiences from wrestling in the Gobi desert to playing live on stage in New Orleans to abseiling in the favelas of Rio. Most recently he’s made travel shows in Azerbaijan Uzbekistan and Sri Lanka.

As the Chief Executive Officer at THRS, Yeishan Goel brings with him a decade of experience in navigating the waters of the hospitality landscape in India. Since founding the company in 2011, Yeishan has closely overseen operations and client servicing to ensure high ROI for clients. His expertise in luxury hotel brands, sales and marketing, travel trade engagement and brand development stems from his passion for the evolving travel and hospitality industry.

Under the banner of THRS and supported by a team of stalwart professionals, Yeishan has partnered with blue-chip luxury tourism brands worldwide. He drives innovation for clients through cross-industry collaborative partnerships and spearheads the developmental efforts of the brand, the most recent one being expanding to international waters and setting up the THRS brand in the GCC. In the past, he has consulted with prestigious companies like Dell Perot Systems, McKinsey & Co, American Express and Wipro Limited.

Tushar Kumar started Silver Arrows in 2012, becoming one of the top 5 Mercedes Benz dealers in India by focusing on exceeding customer expectations. He aimed to make Silver Arrows the most preferred luxury car dealership in India by finding gaps in the industry. Silver Arrows has become synonymous with luxury, quality, and excellence, selling over 9000 Mercedes-Benz cars and servicing more than 90000 cars. His mantra of “Best People Produce Best Results” is reflected in the professional and luxurious experiences provided by his team of 260 members. Tushar is a strong advocate of empowering people, maintaining adequate checks and balances, and encouraging innovation

Abhay Gupta is a luxury retail and brand strategy expert, named as one of India’s top 100 men of luxury. He has won several recognitions across India, SEA, and GCC regions and is the Luxury Retail Icon of India. He created Luxury Connect Business School as India’s first and only luxury business school and consults brands, businesses, and start-ups across strategy, compliance, talent upskilling, training, and development. With over three decades of experience, Gupta has continually delivered sustainable revenue growth in the luxury, retail, apparel manufacturing, and brand launch initiatives. He is an avid blogger and his analytical posts are carried by premium publications.

Elisa Robles-Fraga has been with Turespaña since September 2019 as the Tourism Counsellor and Director for India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Maldives and Bhutan. She has more than 40 years of experience as a senior Government official of the Spanish National Administration. As Tourism Counsellor and Director, she is responsible for promoting Spain as a touristic destination in her markets by coordinating market research and development, and leading and organizing various marketing activities for B2B and B2C.Married with two children, Elisa enjoys travelling to historic and cultural destinations.

Ambitions to ‘travel the world and learn’ lead him to into entering the travel industry three decades ago. Today, not only does he travel extensively and learn but through his enterprise ‘Panache World’ he also designs and orchestrates trips for others with a certain passion and a distinct panache. His experience range from having organised and lead spiritual journeys in Tibet and Egypt to managing round-the-world trip on private jet and from having managed logistics for the British Royal Family to elaborate destination weddings. From having started as ‘India for Indians’, Panache World today organises curated trips to over 80 countries across the world. Nurturing and steering Panache World is his passion.

Years of being in the hospitality industry, privileged to be part of some of the most prestigious brands, like The Oberoi Group, ITC Hotels and more recently Fairmont, Raffles & the other luxury brands of Accor; travelling thorough unique locations, the opportunity to create stories and more importantly learning how to tell them…. All these years have turned moments into memories! Memories I will cherish for all my life.

With all this behind me, I thought it was perhaps time to metaphorically hang up my boots which is what I did mid 2021. However, destiny as always paves a path for me and a second innings came my way as I had the opportunity to represent a cluster of Banyan Tree Branded hotels in Thailand. In keeping with the theme of things I decided to call my company ‘And The Story Continues’ and so it does. 5 months down the path creating success for Banyan tree Bangkok, Bangkok Phuket, Angsana Laguna Phuket, Cassia Phuket & Homm Bliss Southbeach Patong I could not contain my excitement at being appointed the representative in India for Fairmont Maldives Sirru Fen Fushi. It is like a return to my Alma Mater!

With over 27 years of experience, Sharad is an industry veteran and an inspirational leader who has worked in highly competitive environments across multiple cities in India. He is seasoned in building strong organizational structures to increase efficiency. Prior to joining The Leela, Sharad was Cluster General Manager with Marriott in Bengaluru. His work experience spans two major hospitality groups Marriott and Oberoi Hotels with assignments across multiple luxury hotels including The Oberoi Mumbai, The Oberoi Grand Kolkata, Trident Hyderabad and JW Marriott Mumbai Juhu.An avid reader, he loves travelling to nature and wildlife resorts.

Samar Choksi leads NSW’s operations in India to achieve tourism goals and visitor economy strategy by implementing annual plans, partnering with airline and key industry partners, and promoting NSW destinations and major events. An expert in trade development, partnerships, business events, marketing, and Industry engagement, Samar’s skills includes ability to understand consumer behaviour, market dynamics, marketing practices and trends and the travel distribution system.Prior to this, Samar was responsible for managing Tourism Australia’s distribution, partnerships, partnership marketing and Business Events (MICE) for India and the Gulf region for 12.5 years.

Sanjay Arya is a successful entrepreneur in luxury travel who founded KFT Corporation in 1993. After pivoting the focus of the company from ticketing to luxury travel in 2013, he quickly established KFT Corporation as a leading provider of bespoke luxury journeys. In 2018, he launched Pureluxe Club, a new luxury brand offering even more exclusive experiences. Sanjay has been recognized for his exceptional knowledge and expertise in the travel industry, receiving the “Outstanding Expertise Supplier Knowledge Travel Designers” award in 2018 and being nominated for the “Most Creative Travel Designer” award in 2023.

Loveleen Arun has had diversified experience in the hotel and travel industry. She started her career with the Taj Group of Hotels, which was followed by three years tenure at The Imperial in New Delhi and finally she moved to Bangalore with Cox & Kings, where she was Area Manager for South India. She co-founded Panache in 2001.She has diligently reinvented herself over the years to remain relevant in the very fast changing travel industry. Her strong points are immensely intimate & first-hand destination knowledge and long-term bonds & relationships with industry colleagues around the world. She travels frequently and keeps herself up to date with the latest trends in the global Luxury Travel Industry by attending the major cutting-edge events. Recognized by several global networks like Traveller Made, she is one the premier Luxury Travel advisors in India today

Having spent more than twenty-four years in Asia, this captivating continent never ceases to amaze Christine. In 1999, having successfully led the expansion for a satellite office of an acclaimed Singapore organization in Bali, Indonesia, Christine was appointed the Director of Sales & Marketing at Chiva‐Som, Thailand, in 2001 ‐ 2005. This enriching environment is where Christine prompted the conception of an independent business venture that would fuse her former experience and expertise. She was keen on providing personal marketing strategies for truly extraordinary travel destinations. As a result, Heavens Portfolio was launched in July 2005 in Singapore and quickly grew to be the leader in Hotel and destination representation in Asia with 17 satellite offices where 42 team members are currently providing their expertise to a portfolio of 40 hotels amongst them are Cheval Blanc, Armani, Belmond, Oetker, Chiva-Som and many more iconic hotels.

Dr. Syed Shadab Ahmed is a skilled Medical Doctor with over 10 years of experience in primary care and occupation health. At Zulal Wellness Resort, he prioritizes guests’ safety and wellbeing by implementing appropriate health assessments and treatment plans. Previously, Dr. Syed managed over 10,000 workers as a Project Doctor at Daewoo and worked as a Clinical Attaché in Emergency Medical and Internal Medicine at Hamad General Hospital. He is also actively involved in developing and training his team. Dr. Syed graduated from Deccan College of Medical Sciences in Hyderabad, India and holds a diploma in Lifestyle Medicine from Weil Cornell University Qatar.

Carissa Nimah is the CMO for the Department of Tourism – Bhutan. She has nearly 20 years of experience in PR, marketing, and sales for luxury brands. Previously, Carissa oversaw global sales, marketing, revenue, and reservations for Soneva, a luxury hospitality brand in Thailand and the Maldives. She holds two undergraduate degrees in Politics and Journalism, and Masters in Strategic Marketing from Australian universities. Carissa lives in Bhutan with her family and pets, and enjoys hiking, reading, and yoga

Malik is a Director of Dilmah Tea. Established by Merrill J. Fernando; Dilmah, named after his two sons Dilhan and Malik, was the first producer-owned tea brand, offering tea ‘picked, perfected and packed’ at origin. Dilmah is founded on a passionate commitment to quality and authenticity in tea, it is also a part of a philosophy that goes beyond commerce in seeing business as a matter of human service. 15% of earnings are directed to social justice and the environment through the MJF Charitable Foundation and Dilmah Conservation.Malik is also the Managing Director of Resplendent Ceylon, the first Sri Lankan luxury resort brand. This “best of Sri Lanka” circuit features three distinctively original resorts, connected by a thread of peerless service. Ceylon Tea Trails, Wild Coast Tented Lodge and Cape Weligama are the sole Sri Lankan members of Relais & Chateaux, the global fellowship of individually owned & operated luxury hotels and restaurants. Three more resorts are in development.Mr Fernando spearheaded the Sri Lanka Tourism Alliance to mobilize the private tourism sector to act swiftly and strategically, with one voice under the Love Sri Lanka banner.He is also a Director at SriLankan Airlines.

GB Srithar is the Regional Director for India, Middle East, South Asia & Africa (IMESA) and is based in MumbaiHe has worked for Singapore Tourism Board for more than 2 decades in various leadership positions. Having spent a decade in Human Resources functions, he had served as the Area Director for South India & Sri Lanka. Prior to his appointment as Regional Director, he headed the Brand Campaigns team at STB’s HQ Marketing Group.In his current role, Srithar is responsible for STB’s regional marketing, tourism developmental and trade partnership work in India, South Asia, Middle East & Africa, including leisure marketing, MICE & cruise promotions and promoting Singapore as a wedding destination. He works closely with travel trade and non-trade partners to promote the destination to consumers through creative and engaging projects.Together with his STB team, Srithar’s strong belief in establishing people connections, working in partnership with the travel trade for mutually beneficial results and engaging consumers’ hearts and minds through innovative initiatives has helped position Singapore as the destination of choice for the IMESA travellers. He keeps in close touch with the travel trade fraternity in India, whom he regards warmly as “partner-friends”. He has led several innovative marketing projects in India. These include Bollywood movie projects, marketing tie-ups with leading brands in India and creative branded content and award-winning consumer outreach projects.

Seema Roy serves as Preferred Hotels & Resorts’ Area Managing Director for South Asia, Middle East & Africa, and oversees hotel retention and development efforts of the brand’s growing portfolio in the region. She is supported by the company’s regional offices in New Delhi, Dubai and Cape Town.Since joining Preferred Hotels & Resorts in 2010, Ms. Roy has played a key role in successfully amplifying brand awareness of Preferred Hotels & Resorts in the region. Prior to her current role, she has spearheaded efforts towards developing and executing the company’s marketing, advertising, loyalty program, regional alliance, and partnership efforts in Asia Pacific, providing strategic consultation and support to more than 150 hotel members. Previously, Ms. Roy held various positions with Intercontinental, The Oberoi Hotels and Resorts, and The Imperial New Delhi in India.

Hotelier for 30 plus years, worked in 10 plus countries, 4 continents, with brands like Kempinski Hotels and Hyatt International, Indian at heart, a global citizen by profession, currently at the Alila Jabal Akhdar, Oman, a Hyatt Hotel.Loves good food, road trips and off roading, photography, learning new cultures, building connections, offbeat experiences are a few of his passions.Professionally, besides doing the usual what a Hotel GM should do, loves identifying and developing talent into becoming hoteliers of repute, creating memories via experiences for his hotel guests and team.

A hotelier with more than two decades of leading teams at luxury resorts and hotels, across India, Mauritius, Egypt, Thailand and the Maldives. A passionate road trip enthusiast with many miles on his soul, an avid reader and a believer in the human potential, beyond any other resource on our planet.

We are amongst the top luxury travel providers in India and are a part of Traveller Made. We are also preferred partners with LHW (The Leading Hotels of the World), Jumeirah Hotels, Four Seasons Hotels, Preferred Hotels Partner, Stars and Luminous of Marriott Hotels, Hyatt Prive, Diamond club of Dorchester Collection Hotels, Address Hotels and lot more luxury hotels.

Amit has been in the travel & tourism business for over 29 years. An MBA in International Marketing and an alumni of Delhi Public School and FORE School of Management, Amit joined the Travel and Tourism industry at an early age way back in 1993.After having served Abercrombie & Kent for close to 4 years, it was in 2014 when he decided to pursue his passion to a more specialised role and launched Experiential Travel Journeys Pvt. Ltd. as a provider of high-end experiential tailor-made travel to destinations worldwide and serve discerning travellers who are seeking farther, deeper, engaging, and meaningful travel, with personalised services and attention to detail.

ILLUME

Agenda

Sheetal Rastogi

Yeishan Goel

Tushar Kumar

Abhay Gupta

Elisa Robles-Fraga

Sanjar Imam

Tekla Maira

Sharad Puri

Samar Choksi

Sanjay Arya

Loveleen Multani Arun

Christine Galle

Dr. Syed Ahmed

Carissa Nimah

Malik Fernando

GB Srithar

Seema Roy

Puneet Singh

Abhishek Sharma

Anshul Shah

Amit Kalsi

Speakers

Sheetal Rastogi

Yeishan Goel

Tushar Kumar

Abhay Gupta

Elisa Robles-Fraga

Sanjar Imam

Tekla Maira

Sharad Puri

Samar Choksi

Sanjay Arya

Loveleen Multani Arun

Christine Galle

Dr. Syed Ahmed

Carissa Nimah

Malik Fernando

GB Srithar

Seema Roy

Puneet Singh

Abhishek Sharma

Anshul Shah

Amit Kalsi