Himanshu Kesari Patil, Director, Kesari Tours Pvt. Ltd., is one of India’s most respected and trusted travel brands and currently serving as the President of OTOAI. Himanshu is a distinguished name in the Indian travel industry and comes with a deep-rooted passion for tourism with an unparalleled global exposure and industry insight. He has played a pivotal role in driving Kesari Tours’ innovation, expansion, and digital transformation.

Under his leadership, the company has not only surpassed pre-pandemic growth but also established a stronger footprint across India with enhanced customer-centric services and a new corporate headquarters. As the President of OTOAI, he advocates for ethical practices, regulatory recognition, and unified representation of outbound tour operators in India. His vision focuses on elevating industry standards, ensuring consumer protection, and fostering collaboration across the global travel ecosystem. With four decades of legacy behind him and a future-focused mindset, Himanshu continues to be a guiding force in reshaping outbound tourism from India with innovation, trust and integrity.

1. Kesari Travels is a household name today. What was the original vision when you founded it and how has it evolved over time?
My father founded this company in 1984 on his name Kesari. We were kids at that point of time. Later, we took over and continue his legacy till date. We follow whatever he has taught us, from customer care to the foundation of the company is all based on trust. We need to give our customers the value of whatever they pay us.

2. What inspired you to take the leap into the travel industry, and what was the biggest challenge you faced in the early years?
It’s evolved technologically; we have evolved in many ways. Initially, we were domestic tour operators. Now, we are present all over the world, including Antarctica. Our tours operate to all the countries across the world. Pre-pandemic, our volume was about 100,000 passengers plus a year. During pandemic, it obviously went down. Post pandemic we have crossed all figures. Soon we will cross 100,000 miles.

3. What were the challenges you faced initially when you took over from your dad?
Dad was always a guiding force for us. Now his children are running the show. There are no challenges as such, because it’s a process that was set by my dad as he was always actively involved in the venture. He used to supervise and monitor everything. That was his biggest strength. Whatever we have achieved today is all his teaching. We continue to work on his ideologies.

4. In an age of digital disruption and DIY travel, what do you think has kept Kesari relevant and growing?
You have to understand one thing; we have a large population in a country like India. Many people are always scared to apply for visas. They need someone who can do hand holding for them when they go abroad. And that’s what our speciality is. We believe in a caring culture. Our tour guides are with our clients throughout the tours. Even though we may go the digital way, this caring and handholding culture will continue to remain in India and the group tour business will also thrive. FITs will evolve and go digital, but group tours will continue booking their tours with travel agents.

5. As a leader, how do you balance tradition with innovation, especially in a legacy brand like Kesari?
We believe in keeping our traditions alive. We have to maintain that because I believe the caring culture is here to stay. That’s what people like about us. The trust which people have on us is very strong. We are a company built on the foundation of trust. And that’s what we believe in. We are ready with the digital challenges, and we are upgrading ourselves to face these challenges.

6. What keeps you motivated every day to continue to grow?
We still have to achieve a lot more. Our systems are set and we just need to expedite a few things to manage the growth what we are expecting in the future.

7. What’s your approach to decision-making in uncertain times, like during the COVID-19 pandemic or geopolitical tensions affecting tourism?
COVID was unprecedented and taught us a lot. In travel business, particularly, the money, what we get belongs to our customers, because they have trusted you and paid the money. So, the main aim for us is whatever our customers have given us, whatever profit margins we have, we need to spend that much only. We have learned a lot, so it’s much easier now to tackle any unprecedented situation or any geopolitical situation. We are prepared and ready to handle it inspite losing a lot of money during the tough times like closure of Jet Airways, as well as Go Airways or other such issues. We are still flying because of the trust that people have shown us.

8. How do you nurture a culture of excellence within your teams, especially when dealing with customers from across the country and abroad?
Basically, we always try to teach all our staff how this caring culture is always customer centric. Sometimes we do take decisions where our company may lose money, but we always want our customers to be happy.

9. As President of OTOAI, what global travel trends are you most excited about, especially for Indian outbound travellers?
People are travelling a lot more than they used to. The experiential travel sector has grown substantially. People are exploring different destinations. Gen Z and millennials are exploring upbeat travel influenced by social media. Now they exactly know where they want to go and what they want to do. And that’s where I think there is a tremendous growth and potential in travel.

10. What destinations do you see emerging as the next big thing for Indian tourists in the next 5 years?
Vietnam is doing extremely well. Japan is one destination which is growing rapidly. And the other destinations that are clearly going to get even more popular in the coming times will be either visa free countries, visa on arrival countries or those with an easy visa process. The other destinations will need to ease their visa processes for tourism to grow. They have to consider India as a potential market, as Indian tourists are high spenders.

11. Do you think India can better position itself globally for both as a tourist destination and a source market?
India is already a source market we just have to market it in a proper way. We have a lot to offer as a country. We need to improve our infrastructure and road connectivity. And I’m sure soon things will change for India as well, once this geopolitical situation gets stabilised.

12. What does travel mean to you personally beyond the business that you handle?
I think travel is everything for me. I’m a passionate traveller. Travel gives you a different perspective. You learn so much when you travel. Travel has changed my own life completely. You learn many life lessons. It’s just been a big eye opener for me.

13. You’ve worn many hats, that of an entrepreneur, leader and mentor. What’s been your most fulfilling role so far?
It has to be customer’s happiness. Their smiles! When our team goes out of their way for our customers and do something for them without even waiting for the management approval, it goes a long way. It is extremely satisfying to see the happiness on the faces of our customer and how our teams are making changes in their lives.

14. At what age did you start working with your dad? Looking back at your journey, what would you say is your proudest moment?
I started working at Kesari when I was only 15. I’m almost 40 years old now. So it’s been 25 years in this industry. I’m very proud and grateful that I got a chance to learn and work with my father. I was with him the longest time learning all the business tricks and tips from him and growing old with him. Learning all the business hacks from him have been some of the best moment of my life.

15. Your all-time favourite destination that still gives you goosebumps and you can keep going back to?
My favourite place is Innsbruck, a beautiful broad valley between high mountains, also known for its imperial and modern architecture. I can keep going there again and again. The world is beautiful. So far I’ve been to almost 130 countries and probably I will complete rest of the world in my lifetime.

16. One place in India you feel must be on every Indian’s bucket list?
Kashmir.