Entrepreneur Keyur Joshi’s sharp business acumen, insights and strategic thinking have redefined the travelscape in India. He has played a decisive role as co-founder and COO of MakeMyTrip.com in kickstarting the online travel market in India. Following his passion for wildlife, he scripts
an ode to the forests through his latest venture, Tipai, located two hours from Nagpur. As Founder and Chief Strategic Advisor of Wildlife Luxuries, Keyur has created another trailblazer template that goes beyond the typical safari-buffet-bed formula. Tipai celebrates the joys of the
jungle while conserving natural resources and empowering local communities.
Excerpts from a conversation:
What made you shift focus: from shaping online travel at MakeMyTrip.
com to naturalist-led safaris and luxury forest villas?
Travelling and meeting new people is something I enjoy and that led me to creating MakeMyTrip. With WildLife Luxuries, there is an element of travel and an element of experience combined.
What are the challenges you read in the industry?
There is a serious lack of imagination, and destinations in India. The Indian tourism landscape is primitive compared to where our economy
stands at $4 trillion. We lack the tourism infrastructure we need. This
infrastructure needs to be developed by the private sector. Also, the hospitality industry is not given an industry status, that makes the inflow of finances tough. Government support is needed. Wildlife is a big opportunity to create unique, personalised experiences for people,
and India has many potential locations.
What does luxury mean to you?
Luxury is an extremely personalised experience. A unique experience which only I can avail, and it is unique to me. The only place in India that has created some kind of infrastructure for such experiences is Rajasthan. But the infrastructure here has been largely created for the inbound visitor travelling from Europe or America.
It’s a crowded strip: with over 8 wildlife resorts fringing Nagpur. What
made you centre in Tipeshwar forest?
Tipeshwar is a dry, deciduous, boutique forest. A new, intimate park. Also, this is one of the poorest districts in the country. It felt sickening to keep hearing about farmer suicides. The Yavatmal area lacks many industries, it is primarily agrarian. Mining was shut down earlier as it is an
eco-sensitive zone. The place was just right to make a difference in.
We have developed the economy of the region, by creating employment
opportunities for people living within 50km² of the park. If we start building some kind of tourism infrastructure, that in itself brings interest for the locals, the park will be looked after better. It’s a game. Plenty has been done by the forest department in developing the park, but
a symbiotic relationship has developed between the people, and the jungle.
More focus on the park, more tourism, more work. Tipai is a draw for people in Telangana too. Maharashtra is doing a far better job
looking after its forests than Telangana is. Tipai is only a 350-kilometre drive from Hyderabad and attracts overwhelming visitors from Hyderabad.
Are you adding to the local ecology?
We are using solar panels, implementing
rain water harvesting, and bringing in
permaculture. It isn’t just about ticking
boxes for me. Sustainability is a culture.
It is what we eat, breathe, live and
sleep. When we create a restaurant, we
make use of the local flowers and foods,
generating work opportunities for the
villagers.
What’s your state of mind as an
entrepreneur right now?
A feeling of immense satisfaction that I have been able to find a way to
build and give back to society in some tangible way. Not charity, but making a difference to the lives of the locals here through skill building and work opportunities.
Shilpi Madan for Peaklife