We raise funds for our community projects via our tours. Somehow, we are managing to keep our community projects running at the moment, though many of us have lost our jobs.
Krishna Pujari, Reality Tours & Travel, Mumbai, India
I came to Mumbai when I was 13 and started to work in cafes and restaurants and studied in night schools. I never, ever imagined that one day I would get a chance to meet people from around the world and have an opportunity to travel and learn so much. Since I met my first traveller in 2002 (Chris, my friend and business partner now), it changed my life. I improved so much in terms of knowledge and communication, and I have a better understanding of the world and communities. This has helped me to broaden my horizons and confidence. Now, with my learnings from travel, I try to implement some ideas into my own community to make some positive changes. As travelling is a very intense way of learning, it has shaped me into a better and well-rounded person.
“Explaining to people about our customs, cultures and beliefs and being the bridge between the people and communities of my country and travellers gives me an amazing feeling of pride.”
The best thing about my job is meeting people from around the world and feeling that I am the brand ambassador of my country. I really enjoy showing people the real side of the country and explaining about our customs, cultures and beliefs. Being the bridge between the people and communities of my country and travellers gives me an amazing feeling of pride.
COVID-19 has had a huge impact on my job, my team, my community and our mission. We are a socially responsible organisation and raise funds for our community projects through our tours. Travel & Tourism is the first sector which was hit by COVID-19. As we have shut all our operations since March 2020, it has impacted our jobs and community projects. Somehow, we are managing our community projects to run at the moment, though many of us lost our job. At the moment, my hopes are that the travel industry fights the COVID-19 crisis and comes back to normal. I also hope for better COVID-19 vaccines and that more travellers find the options to travel in a responsible way.
“Right now, I miss travel. We have stopped all our operations, since March, and I am in a small village in South India. I miss Mumbai. I miss crowded trains. I miss the noise of the city and traffic. I miss meeting people on the tour. I miss walking in Dharavi Slum and spending time in my community.“
I have so many memories from my travel life, from the first guest who came on the tour to the first plane ride I took with my business partner. There is one memory I would like to mention which is related to WTTC: when I was in the auditorium for the WTTC Tourism for Tomorrow Awards.
“Hearing ‘The winner is: Reality Tours & Travel!’ at the WTTC Tourism for Tomorrow Awards was the biggest and most memorable moment of my life in travel”
When I arrived in Madrid, I had completely lost hope of winning the award because of the big names of the other two finalists. On the evening of the award ceremony I did not know how to wear a tie. I tried to fix my tie by watching a video on YouTube in the toilet. I was not successful. I came back to the auditorium and another finalist from Feynan Ecolodge Jordan helped me to wear the tie; the next thing I heard was ‘The winner is: Reality Tours & Travel!" This was the biggest and most memorable moment of my life in travel
WTTC thanks Krishna for sharing his story from Mumbai, India!
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