The second edition of TravTalk ThinkTank, held at Le Méridien New Delhi, discussed the future of family-run travel agencies and explored the pros and cons of whether handing over to the next generation is better than taking the professional route, or ‘letting go’ is the smarter move.
Nisha Verma
As TravTalk ThinkTank evolves, each edition is designed to tackle a new, pressing challenge facing the travel trade. From our inaugural conversation to the second roundtable, we continue to bring diverse voices together to decode complex realities. Such dialogues are vital. They push the industry toward clarity, preparedness, and eventually, meaningful solutions.
The latest ThinkTank discussion brought together some of India’s most respected industry voices to unpack one of the most pressing and emotionally charged questions in the travel trade today — How should family-run travel agencies navigate succession in an era of disruption?
With 80 per cent of Indian travel agencies founded in the 1980s and 1990s, most remain family-run enterprises driven by instinct, emotion, and generational assumptions. However, the world they operate in has fundamentally changed. Disruptions like technology, compliance, digitisation, AI, consolidation, and shifting consumer behaviour have shaken the foundations of how business is built and run.
The discussion delivered one message loud and clear — Succession is no longer a matter of inheritance. It is a matter of strategy.
Does instinct drive business today?
Setting the stage, SanJeet, Director, DDP Group, reminded those present that India’s first-generation agency owners weathered crises few industries have experienced at that intensity — economic upheavals, deregulation, the shift from manual to digital systems, the OTAs, and finally, the pandemic. While the world evolved, decision-making in many family businesses remained rooted in instinct and emotion, not structure. And the biggest assumption that the next generation will automatically take over collapsed. “Founders are getting older, younger people are not always interested, consolidation is happening, exits are becoming smoother. We are rewriting the family business playbook,” said SanJeet, as he went on to quiz the participants on how they started their respective businesses and how are they handling the handover.
Succession isn’t one formula
Succession in the travel industry is deeply personal and highly variable. Today it’s not about age. It is about readiness, relevance, strategy, and sometimes, sheer survival. The panel acknowledged that every company stands at a different point in its journey. Subhash Goyal, Chairman, STIC Travel & Air Charter Group, built his company from the ground up. A gold medallist from SRCC and an MBA, he ran the business professionally even when he had barely 20 people. He revealed that his daughters frequented his office — sitting at counters, filling forms, and even earning pocket money for their hours. They have risen through the ranks by going through all aspects of his business, including sales, operations, and finally taking over leadership roles.
“Involving the next generation early keeps them connected. When they had the option of going abroad for higher studies, both my daughters chose to stay and support the business,” he shared.
For Guldeep Singh Sahni, Managing Director, Weldon Tours & Travels, succession is not just a handover — it is a continuation of values. “Earlier, children didn’t want to join the business because they saw us going the hard way — manual process, visa tensions, airline policies. However, India has evolved. Today’s travel business is exciting, tech-driven, and far more structured. Now, children want to join.”
His own transition story is rooted in familiarity. His son grew up in the office, called the accountant “aunty”, and saw both the chaos and the evolution firsthand. “With passion, transition is easy. If children join willingly, not out of force, they take the business forward much faster. As a next-gen leader, my son brings data analysis and new technology. Sometimes it scares me, but it is the future,” he laughed.
Rajan Dua, Managing Director, Udaan India, represents the path of reinvention. After building Udaan India into a visa outsourcing leader, he brought both children into the business. However, he later decided to exit and sell the company. “Pre-COVID was my golden time. Then from 300 people we went down to 30 during COVID. It shook me, and I realised that tech was going to rule the future, and I wasn’t from a tech background. Hence, I decided to sell.”
Letting go is hardest
While the technicalities of leadership transition can be mapped, the emotional factor remains the biggest hurdle. Gaurav Luthra, Industry Expert (Ex-CBO Yatra and Ex-MD FCM India), who has led teams across founder-run and multinational setups, said, “What makes or breaks a smooth succession is narrative. What is the story you give your organisation about the change? Succession in professional companies happens daily — a change of role is succession. But in family companies, the founder must consciously demarcate between emotional attachment and professional reality.”
Naveen Kundu, Founder, Tourism Futures.AI, added another layer to the discussion, underlining that letting go is not just a personal decision, but an industry responsibility. “Founders must learn the art of letting go. More than just running your business and making money, you also have an obligation of creating and giving this industry professionals.”
Professionalisation: evolution or threat?
The panel underlined that to run any business, professionalisation is necessary and travel companies can no longer afford to operate as ‘Lala companies’. Also, the speakers discussed that it is vital to choose a CEO to manage the company, whether from family or existing employees, or a new person.
Giving a solution, Kundu said, “Let’s not make the CEO sound like the devil. Smaller companies don’t need CEOs. They need professional advice. What kills growth is not lack of talent. It is lack of help. I had someone in my own company who had the potential to be a CEO, but I never recognised it until he left and built his own business.”
Professionalisation does not mean external takeover. Sometimes, it means identifying internal leaders early. Reinforcing the same, Luthra said, “Travel has become extremely complex — AI, GenAI, automation, digitisation across touchpoints. Leaders need far more depth, planning, and structure today than ever before.”
Describing the professionalisation in structure at his company, Goyal said, “All CEOs, including my daughter, are answerable to a board of directors with external members. Budgetary control is exercised strictly. The CEO’s decisions must pass professional scrutiny.”
No single ‘correct’ succession path
Across the panel, one universal truth emerged that there is no single succession strategy. It varies from company to company, depending on the size, revenue, market situation, children’s interest, and existing structure. Today, travel agencies can scale with the next generation; bring in professionals to stabilise or grow; merge with aligned partners; sell and pursue new ventures; stay small and specialised; or reinvent their model entirely. However, what counts is choosing consciously, not emotionally.
In case of acquisitions, Luthra cautioned, “Choose your partner wisely. Your brand has a DNA. You need someone who resonates with it. Only then will your journey, even if it ends in an exit, be fulfilling, not resentful.”
Adding another dimension, Dua shared, “COVID made many realise they needed an exit strategy. But selling took me two years. It was not easy — emotionally or strategically.”
Kundu summarised the new reality, and said, “Either you are very small or you scale. There is no in-between. To survive, you must adapt.”
Tech, adaptability & future
Adaptability was the buzzword through the entire discussion and the panel shared that technology cannot be ignored when it comes to succession planning. The next generation will inherit a business that is fully digital, AI-led, and globally competitive. Leaders must prepare their companies today for the world their successors will operate in tomorrow. Dua said, “Technology is going to change how we travel. Our eyes and finger/s will become our passports. Travel feels like sci-fi. We must adapt quickly.” Sahni warned, “If you don’t keep up with technology, small companies will be left too far behind, and vanish.”
Toward stronger, smarter succession
Wrapping up the discussion, the panel converged on one unambiguous truth: the future of India’s travel agencies — family-run or professionally managed — will depend on adaptability, structured leadership, and the willingness to evolve.
Reiterating the most fundamental takeaway, Goyal said, “Without professionalism, it is not going to work.” He underlined that growth is not dependent on selling, listing, or bringing in investors, but it is rooted in discipline, systems, and the mindset to modernise. His perspective framed succession not as a generational shift, but as a cultural shift within organisations.
Sahni emphasised the changing attitudes of next-gen leaders who now see the industry as aspirational — driven by better processes, better technology, and a growing global demand for Indian travel experiences.
Dua reinforced the need for preparedness, continuity in planning, and an operational structure that outlives the promoter. In his view, every agency must build mechanisms that ensure the business remains relevant, resilient, and stable. This should be regardless of who leads it next.
Pointing out that the travel sector cannot afford to ignore the discipline of corporate governance, Luthra noted that sharper processes, structured reporting, and clear succession frameworks empower both promoters and professional leadership to build lasting organisations.
Kundu claimed that the industry must embrace the art of letting go. Giving teams, children, or incoming leaders the freedom to learn, err, and thrive, he said, is how the industry truly nurtures future professionals. “More than just running your business and making money, you have an obligation of creating and giving this industry professionals,” he stressed. Today, succession planning is no longer a family matter — it is an industry mandate.
