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eBOOK_TWA_DEC19

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All things Indian We live in a strange land. A country that is so hard to explain. In my job, I travel the world talking about our destination. Who we are, what we have to offer, why we are unique? People listen with fascination. But they also listen with bewilderment. Who are you people? What makes you tick? What is an Indian? We are a poor, dirty country. We have disease everywhere. You are bound to get sick eating in India. The curse of the Delhi Belly is real. There are cows and beggars everywhere. Such are the images that we evoke in markets afar. Yet, we are a country that put a spaceship into Mars orbit at a tenth of the cost and time taken by NASA. We came to a fraction of the moon's surface in our maiden mission to the moon. We produce doctors, scientists and technicians that unquestionably run the world. "I never try to explain India. You cannot attempt to understand India. You can only experience India. And every day it's a different country, a different time, a different future. India is amazing." We have the finest in fashions, cuisines and art. We run the most complex of elections. We have an economy others envy. Therefore, I can only conclude that we are the most confusing, contradictory and evocative country in the world. Am I wrong? And in our contradictions and confusion lie our biggest strengths. Rajeev Kohli has a passion for travel and showing India to the world. With more than 24 years of industry experience, today he is joint managing director of Creative Travel, a family legacy of two generations that has showcased the sub-continent for more than 40 years. I love talking about India when I travel. I enjoy the pleasures of life. But as much as my exterior is modern, international, my insides are very deeply Indian. I love sharing stories of why we are unique. I was travelling with a friend from the Americas who was captivated by my tales of our land. She too had heard stories of misery and gloom. But she took up my challenge to see it for herself and embarked on a journey to India that has sent her back changed. I asked her when she was leaving, whether we succeeded in touching her senses. I had great happiness in seeing her eyes light up at every turn of the trip. In unfolding my country, petal by petal. Sometimes we just forget how blessed we are to have a destination that simply does half our work. We are by far one of the most unprofitable economic segments in India for the effort we put in. But, it simply takes seeing India through the eyes of a foreigner to understand how powerful we are. I like to say that in my 25 years of working for my family, I have never met anyone who has been to India and said they regretted it. How many of you share the pride in showing the Taj Mahal, the Ghats of Varanasi, the bylanes of Old Delhi or the backwaters of Kera la? How can you not find joy in what we do? I never try to explain India. You cannot attempt to understand India. You can only experience India. And every day it's a different country, a different time, a different future. India is amazing. Let's believe in ourselves and let's shout to the world to remind them of that.■ CONTENTS 5 HICAP Be nimble and resilient 6 RIVER CRUISE East meets West on Crystal Mozart's Danube adventure 9 RCA 2019 SPECIAL TWA celebrates industry's best at annual awards 31 GLOBAL WRAP Best of the news from Asia and the world Above: HICAP 2019 takes place in Hong Kong Left: View of Budapest Below: TWA holds fifth Readers' Choice Awards at Mandarin Orchard Singapore www.travelweekly-asia.com I 3

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