The Indian travel trade landscape is set to welcome a fresh networking platform with the launch of World Travel Collective (WTC), an initiative founded by six seasoned travel professionals—Hiral Somani (Holiday Exotica), Aalok Soni (Assured Hospitality Services), Munjal Fitter (rezmytrip.com), Niral Patel (Exotic Places), Dheeraj Saundh (Chutney Hotels & Holidays) and Digvijay Sinh Jhala (Shaurya Hospitality).
Built on decades of collective industry experience, WTC aims to move beyond the traditional exhibition format by creating a business-first platform where meaningful conversations, pre-scheduled meetings and measurable outcomes take centre stage. The inaugural edition will take place in Ahmedabad, bringing together buyers, exhibitors and tourism stakeholders under one roof to foster quality partnerships and long-term growth.
Designed to Fill a Critical Industry Gap
The idea behind World Travel Collective stems from a simple yet powerful observation—while trade shows offer excellent networking opportunities, they often lack the structure needed to facilitate focused business interactions.
Sharing the vision behind the initiative, Hiral Somani, Founder of Holiday Exotica says, “Having spent over 26 years in the travel industry, I have attended numerous trade shows across India and internationally. While these events offer networking opportunities, we felt there was a need for a more focused, outcome-driven platform where quality interactions take precedence over quantity. World Travel Collective was created to become a business-enabling ecosystem where long-term partnerships are built and measurable results are achieved.”
Ahmedabad Takes Centre Stage
The choice of Ahmedabad as the host city is both strategic and significant. Gujarat has emerged as one of India’s strongest outbound travel markets, yet the state has not had an international-standard B2B travel networking platform dedicated to its travel fraternity.
The founders believe that hosting WTC in Ahmedabad gives tourism boards, destinations, hotels, DMCs and travel suppliers direct access to one of the country’s most entrepreneurial travel markets, while allowing Gujarat’s travel professionals to engage with global partners closer to home.
Quality Over Quantity
What truly distinguishes WTC is its carefully curated meeting format. Every buyer will be screened, and meetings will be pre-scheduled based on mutual business interests, ensuring exhibitors spend time with genuine decision-makers rather than relying on chance encounters.
Aalok Soni, Co-founder of WTC, explains, “Our structured meeting model ensures exhibitors meet the right buyers and buyers connect with partners who are most relevant to their business. The outcome is better conversations, stronger relationships, higher return on investment and tangible business opportunities for everyone involved.”
Capitalising on India’s Evolving Travel Preferences
As Indian travellers increasingly seek authentic experiences over conventional sightseeing, the demand for luxury, experiential and personalised travel continues to rise. Wellness retreats, cultural immersion, adventure, gastronomy and bespoke itineraries are redefining what luxury means in today’s travel market.
Recognising this shift, WTC aims to provide a platform where destinations and tourism partners can showcase differentiated offerings while enabling travel professionals to discover products that align with evolving consumer expectations.
Building a Lasting Industry Platform
For the founding team, success will not be measured solely by attendance figures but by the strength of the business relationships forged during the event.
Looking ahead, the vision is clear—to establish World Travel Collective as one of India’s most respected B2B travel networking platforms, known for its curated approach, quality participants and business-focused outcomes. By creating meaningful connections between Gujarat’s thriving travel trade and global tourism partners, WTC aspires to become an annual marketplace that drives sustainable growth and lasting collaborations across the industry.
