TravelNext
So, what will the next decade look like? Will climate crisis and Ai change the DNA of tourism forever? Will we be ready for that change? Will travel finally be more responsible across India? And will we find many small solutions for a few BIG problems on our planet?
We don’t know. And yet, we have plenty of reasons to hope that the future of travel in India will be people- and planet-friendly. As more and more entrepreneurs and business owners join us on this exciting and ever-evolving journey of responsible tourism, we know we’ll reach the next milestone, and then, the next one… As long as we walk in the right direction. Together.
IRTA 2025 categories
Jury
The Winners
Ajit and Doris, owners of Dudhsagar Plantation, re-greened 50 acres of barren land in the Western Ghats to create a homestay that offers more than the usual attractions. Minimalist architecture, open-sky bathrooms and a commendable focus on natural light and ventilation are among its many sustainability initiatives. More than a homestay, Dudhsagar Planation is fertile ground to prepare the conservationists of the future.
Hansali Organic Farm grew out of the agricultural crisis in Punjab, leading to pioneering work in integrated, organic farming. The homestay adopts an inclusive approach to culture and tourism, and hosts an innovative farm festival that highlights local cuisine and crafts, taking its guests on journeys that explore the wider history and heritage of local communities.
Fagunia Farmstay is deeply embedded in its landscape and community, from its Pahari architecture and its collaborations with local farmers, self-help groups and artisans, to the multi-layered ‘food forest’ and herb garden that supply its kitchen. The owners have encouraged two other homestays to come up in their village, thus widening the platform for responsible tourism in their locality.
An ancestral family property turned into a rural, riverside homestay, Kurialacherry House offers a chance to experience the traditions, culture, ecology and cuisine of Kerala. Guests engage with the community, whether learning the art of coconut leaf weaving, fishing in the backwaters or preparing traditional recipes.
An elderly mother and daughter preserve the culinary, wellness and ecological traditions of Tamil Nadu on their farm via community initiatives like tree-planting, animal feeding and sustainable farming workshops. The farm offers immersive experiences rooted in a rural ethos.
Collaborating with local communities and artisans to create a space that promotes healing and harmony while also preserving the Kashmiri way of life, Fayaz Ahmad Dar’s SAGG Eco Village takes visitors on journeys to unfamiliar destinations, not only exploring new vistas but also new ways of travelling.
A heritage property immersed in rural life, Heritage Homestays engages its guests with the village – from its cuisine to its festivals. The haveli has been renovated with great care, its owners maintaining a careful balance between modernisation and retaining the original architecture.
Drenmo Lodge is a remarkable and ambitious enterprise. It operates in difficult, fragile and remote terrain, working with local communities to foster tourism with a focus on the preservation of the Himalayan brown bear.
For two decades, Barefoot Resort has provided a compelling answer to the question, how can luxury be sustainable? From its architecture, inspired by the ecology and history of the Andaman and Nicobar islands, to its innovative waste disposal, water harvesting and fencing mechanisms, the resort embodies many core principles of responsible tourism.
A luxury hotel with a focus on wellness, Six Senses Vana uses innovative strategies to reduce carbon emissions, increase recycling and encourage engagement between guests and local communities. Six Senses Vana has a record of good environmental practices, skill development and other social, cultural and sustainability interventions.
Set in a fishing village, Xandari Pearl Beach Resort is inspired by the heritage and culture of Kerala, from its architecture and cuisine to its wellness treatments. The resort’s environmental and responsible tourism practices include farm-to-fork meals and CSR initiatives with local schools and communities.
Rising to the challenge of bringing vulnerable regions of Chhattisgarh into the fold of tourism, Agora Eco Tourism involves and empowers marginalised communities, offering sustainable experiences like village stays, stargazing tours, butterfly walks and heritage liquor tastings. The company’s focus on small groups ensures that the impact of its activities is manageable and protects the region from mass tourism.
Working with families in the north-east, Six Degree Adventures promotes immersive travel via tours like Nagaland on Foot, which takes travellers on walks of discovery from village to village, promoting understanding and empathy between tourists and local communities. Conservation and sustainability as core elements of the business.
With a focus on introducing travellers to relatively unexplored destinations, Wildfloc Adventures engages with remote communities. Its extensive, on-ground approach to keeping the mountains clean includes the innovative idea of offering discounts to clients based on the trash they collect during a tour.
Chef Anumitra, self-described as ‘cuisine-agnostic’, reimagines food, food waste and even food art and anthropology in her kitchen, experimenting with ingredients, recipes and cooking technology, all the while offering imaginative and provocative alternatives to our entrenched ideas of taste and consumption.
Chef Ahmedaki Laloo uses traditional, local techniques like fermentation and smoking to showcase the produce, ecology and food ethos of Meghalaya, much of which is relatively unknown in the country. Inspired by the concept ‘By Mother Earth, For Mother Earth’, Laloo’s is a small venture with a big heart, redefining and disrupting the meaning of the home chef and of gourmet cuisine.
Chef-led experiences at The Locavore straddle many dimensions of culture and cuisine, from sustainability to art and aesthetics. Chef Thomas Zacharias promotes the ‘wild foods’ of India, offers curated gastronomy tours to popularise India’s many relatively unexplored cuisines, and much more.
Jabarkhet Nature Reserve is a rare example of a private entrepreneur choosing to re-wild acres of severely damaged land rather than re-developing it for real estate. With a clear focus on social, economic and cultural engagement with its locality, this private nature reserve may serve as a model for other parts of India.
Unlock Hundarman traces the war-torn then forgotten history of a border village, using everyday objects like farming tools and Karachi biscuits, books from Lahore, coffee from France and medicines from Germany. In so doing, it both changes popular perceptions of the region and reimagines the idea of a ‘museum’ to include a whole community.
Established in two locations, Amritsar and New Delhi, the Partition Museum traces the history and aftermath of one of the most consequential events in the history of south Asia, but it does so with a ‘people’s’ perspective, via memories and memorabilia, to create a moving, empathetic and ultimately healing experience.
Fayaz Ahmad Dar has introduced the concept of ‘regenerative’ tourism to his home in Kashmir, integrating sustainable tourism with economic opportunities for local people. He has not only conceived and practised change in remote regions but – most importantly – institutionalised change, working to incorporate his ideas in state policy. This journey is integral to people working at the grassroots, as it is the institutionalisation of concepts that allows models to spread.
Khushi Shah’s wonderful work has harnessed the power of technology and community to conserve the built heritage of her home town, Ahmedabad, while also working to ensure that tourism benefits local populations. Shah’s ‘City, Women and Heritage’ programme taps into women’s potential to conserve heritage, thus also promoting gender inclusivity in conservation.
Combining Rajasthani folk traditions with the poetry and philosophy of Kabir, Gopal Singh Chouhan’s Rajasthan Kabir Yatra embodies core principles of responsible tourism like creating communities through shared travel and experiences. His initiative has brought the music of remote, desert communities to wider audiences, and fundamentally changed how tourism is understood.
Muzaffar Hussain and Yash Saxena’s work around the food of Kargil uses storytelling, academic research and outreach to explore the history and heritage of this remote region. It provides a model that can be replicated to highlight the ingredients and cuisines of communities across India.
The dizzyingly versatile yet incredibly thorough Pradip Krishen excels at communicating his vision easily and persuasively, whether he is making films, writing books or restoring landscapes. As a botanist and conservationist, Krishen has worked with a range of stakeholders, from government departments to gardeners, artists to academics, to reimagine what ‘nature’ can or should be, and inspired a groundswell of interest in sustainable ecosystems across communities.
A sustained focus on a particular region, its people and its heritage has been the hallmark of Meenakshi Meyyappan’s career as a hotelier, restauranteur and cultural conservationist. In its conception, practice and impact, Meyyappan’s work, deeply embedded in the history of the Chettiar merchant princes, serves as a model for the development of sustainable, responsible and enjoyably rewarding tourist destinations.
As a member of several industry bodies and as an important voice from the north-east, Jahnabi Phookan has had the opportunity to shape opinion and, by extension, shape policy. Her pioneering enterprise, Lahe Looms, has not only revived and popularised many Assamese weaves but also empowered women in remote areas, insulating them from the ups and downs of the tourism industry.
Ram Pratap Singh’s Chambal River Lodge was a pioneering venture into what was then only known as ‘dacoit country’. The most pathbreaking of Singh’s innovations, however, has been as an engineer: his creation of an algorithm-driven tool to help small properties measure their sustainability credentials, including waste and water management, community engagement and conservation work.
Meet Our Winners
presenting Partner
State partner
destination partner
knowledge partner
Partners
