Expert Speak: Ashish Kumar, Co-Chair, FICCI Travel Technology & Digital Committee

A veteran of the tour operator space and the Indian travel industry, Ashish Kumar talks about his experience of attending the Adventure Tourism Meet in Shillong.
November 25, 2024
November 25, 2024

Ashish Kumar is a well acknowledged travel industry leader, having pioneered growth and transformational stories of several large travel entities in a career spanning over 45 years, having led them both as a CXO and in an advisory role. He has also been a subject matter expert (SME) for global consulting firms.

 

 

Carrying on with his desire to evangelise and democratise travel technology & knowledge, especially emerging technologies, he fostered the well acclaimed & respected industry podcast ‘Coffee with Ashish’ during COVID times. 

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He has also led the travel start-up eco-system over the last several years, having represented the Amadeus NEXT programme in India, as well as being the founder of ‘Start-up Mentor Board’ and the lead at the FICCI Travel start-ups .

In his interaction with FinancialExpress.com, Ashish Kumar, Co-Chair, FICCI Travel Technology & Digital Committee, said it was very interesting for him to attend the Adventure Tourism Meet in Shillong. “Our industry is very fragmented both on the supply side and on the consumption side. If you’re able to put the supplier route and the pipeline together, I think you’ve achieved a big thing. I see a lot of suppliers here who cater to various destinations, which is very interesting for me,” he said. 

Two aspects of the Meet really stood out for him. One, a sense that the participants were earnest and serious about what they were doing. Second, the presence of a young audience was heartening. They are future entrepreneurs, the ones who will run the tourism industry tomorrow, he said. Attending such sessions will surely inspire them, Mr Kumar emphasised. 

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