The South Asian Digital Travel Conversation is a digital conversation organized by the South Asian Travel Awards to discuss in-depth, to create awareness and to voice the challenges that are being faced in the Travel Trade & Hospitality Industry of the South Asian region.
The conversation has been purposefully designed as a series, spread across multiple episodes of 60 minutes each, with special guests from the South Asian region’s Travel Trade & Hospitality Industry. Each episode will highlight a specific topic, and industry professionals will be sharing their voice with regional factual data.
The conversation will be guided by a moderator who will ask questions based on the topic of the day, and the guests will share their views, experiences, opinions and hindrances. The show will be viewed live on Facebook (https://web.facebook.com/SATAawards). Different episodes will be presented with diverse industry stakeholders and moderators.
Episode Fifteen will be hosted by the VP of South Asian Travel Awards (SATA) Mr Suraj. The topic of episode 15 is; Regional Tourism and Overcoming Challenges
Guests for Episode 15 are:
Dr. Sachin Bansal – Chief Explorer, City Explorers Pvt Ltd
Dr. Sachin Bansal, earned the epithet of the ‘rising sun’ in the heritage tourism industry with innovative leadership in his entrepreneurial journey towards creating the brand ‘India City Walks’, which is now a benchmark. As an enabler and a passionate explorer, his brand is decorated with three National Tourism Awards in consecutive years followed by the coveted Hall of Fame, spearheading multiple flagships. He has over two decades of experience as a tourist engager, creating niche experiences. As an entrepreneurial leader, his passion has steered him in unexplored directions like generating awareness on water as heritage, thereby creating a traction on a tremendous latent opportunity. As a destination branding specialist, he has enabled in co-creation and connecting smart cities through smart citizen initiatives. He is popularly known as a Chief Explorer, a Storywallah and a Heritage Hero.
Dr Mahamood Shoughee - Former Minister of Tourism and Civil Aviation of the Maldives
Dr. Mahamood Shougee is the former Minister of Tourism and Civil Aviation of the Maldives. He played a pivotal role in guiding the establishment of the South Asian Travel Awards (SATA). Dr. Shougee holds a Bachelor of Education, Bachelor of Arts in Economics, and a Master of Education from the University of Manitoba, and a PhD from the University of Toronto. He continues to work as a Consultant for Hotel and Resort chains, and as a Visiting Lecturer and Research Associate at Villa College (Maldives) and the Open University of Malaysia.
Ismail Hameed - Co- Founder - Highrise & SATA
Mr. Ismail Hameed (Highrise Issey) is the Director Marketing & PR of Highrise Group. As the founder, Mr. Issey has over 20 years of marketing and events services experience, including eleven years running Highrise Group along with subsidiaries Maldives Publications and The Trading Company. Mr. Ismail has held a number of respected industry leadership positions, including President and being a Co-Founder of the Liveaboard Association of Maldives. He has been honored with National Youth Award in event management in 2014 and Honoree of Ten Outstanding Young Professional (TOYP) by JCI.
The South Asian Travel Awards (SATA) is the first ever regional Travel Award endorsed by Multi National Associations providing the Tourism sector of the South Asian Region with recognition towards their facilities and service excellence. The South Asian Travel Awards aims to encourage and raise service standards within the regions of the Tourism industry. The brand is one of its kind with affiliations from regional associations ensuring the process within a smooth and transparent procedure. The judging panel consists of high profile senior representatives selected from destinations with vast knowledge and background of the industry to assure an accurate and fair process. SATA is a Highrise concept. The SATA Team have proudly unveiled their platinum partner as Gulf Craft Maldives and Gold Partner as The Hawks Pvt Ltd and look forward to host the prestigious South Asian Travel Awards Grand Gala in the Maldives by the last quarter of 2020.