Mr. Dipak Deva is a self-made man, who started his career as a junior staff member of a travel company in Jaipur, and over the past twenty-eight years has been a key part of the success of the tourism industry in India. His pride in India’s culture and history, and passion for developing unique tourism destinations and experiences within the country have contributed strongly to the India growth story by developing the tourism sector in an exponential manner, both in terms of value and quality of tourists that visit the country.
Mr. Deva is currently the Managing Director of Travel Corporation (I) Ltd.
Under Mr. Deva’s leadership the company has become the largest inbound destination management company in the country. It has grown to a turnover of over $ 100 m annually, and services over 180,000 passengers per year, or over 6 per cent of the total number of tourists that are serviced by the formal tourism industry in India.
TCI is the market leader for inbound tourism from UK, Germany, France, Russia, Spain, Portugal and Japan. The company owns leading international brands such as Sita, Distant Frontiers, Go Vacations (JV with Europe’s DER Touristik).
He recently helped ensure TCI became the first Indian tourism company to acquire Destination Management Companies in 17 countries, thereby creating a truly Indian owned global footprint for the first time ever.
The companies that Mr. Deva has led have won National Tourism Awards since 2002. TCI is now the most awarded and recognised Travel company in the industry. It is the only company to have won the National Tourism Awards over 26 times across various categories, and has won over 81 honours and tributes from the Travel and Tourism Industry.
While Mr. Deva enjoys growing new markets and increasing the share of the international tourism market for India, he is a strong believer in ‘Inclusive Tourism’, and has integrated giving-back-to-society as a key part of his professional life. Since 2008, Mr. Deva has partnered with a non-profit organisation, to help empower underprivileged women by making them financially self-sufficient and has brought a qualitative change to their lives. Through this project, over 4000 women from the marginalised sections of society have been given an opportunity for employment, which has improved the lives of their families, given them immense self-respect, and helped them emerge as role models for the younger generation in their social eco-system. The women create handmade bags from recycled paper which are handed out to clients along with their travel documentation. Each bag has a small note attached to it that tells the recipient about the women and their work, and how the traveller is helping change their lives.
Mr. Deva also works closely with the Ecotourism Society of India to promote environmentally responsible and sustainable practices in the tourism industry across the country. Via TCI he also supports Jal Bhagirathi Foundation which works towards water conservation and distribution of water in the Thar Desert in Rajasthan.
Mr. Deva has also helped create a Nepal Relief Fund to support people affected by the devastating earthquake on April 25, 2015. The fund has helped rebuild the theoretical class room and a vocational workshop which are used for training the children in Sanjiwani Vocational School located in Dhulikhel – 30kms east of Kathmandu.
Based on the work initiated by him TCI has won the National Tourism Award Responsible Tourism Project/Initiative in 2011-12 and the National Tourism Award Responsible Tourism Project/Initiative –Human Rights Impact Assessment India, in 2013-14. They have also won the PATA Gold Award for the company’s strong focus on women’s empowerment, human rights and child protection.
