With over 28 years of experience in the business of luxury travel, retail, and advertising, Vish Gopalakrishnan created Footprint Holidays, a bespoke holiday company that curates authentic, unique, and memorable experiences.
Excerpts from the interview with Vish Gopalakrishnan, CEO of Footprint Holidays
T+L India: What are some of the unique experiences that Footprint Holidays offer?
Vish Gopalakrishnan: Wine trails, soft adventure, local events and festivals, multi-generational family trips, celebrations, anda few fully customised special interest holidays like walking holidays, supercar experiences, a 100-day honeymoon, and more.
T+L India: When was Footprint Holidays founded and with what objective?
Vish Gopalakrishnan: Seeing a dearth of goodbespoke and experiential holiday companies, in 2010, we decided to start a very small yet ultra personalised holiday management company. The sole focus was to weave holiday experiences based on individual preferences.
T+L India: Do you think travel has the power to transform? How does Footprint Holidays align with that vision?
Vish Gopalakrishnan: Absolutely. Travel removes tunnel vision that is ingrained into humans by their geography and opens one up to other countries’ cultures. Footprint always tailors historical, cultural, and architectural elements into a holiday, ensuring the traveller gets their perspective of the country and its people.
T+L India: What is your favourite kind of holiday and why?
Vish Gopalakrishnan: We specialise in family holidays and enjoy them the most. [I like the challenge] of keeping different age groups in mind and curating a trip that satisfies everyone in the family. If you were to pick a destination for a personalised luxury holiday, which one would it be? New Zealand has pristine mountains, lakes, and glaciers coupled with luxury lodges—it is definitely one of the best. Having said this, most places in the world allow for a luxurious and immersive holiday—it depends on what your interests are.
T+L India: Which is one tour or destination that is currently seeing a lot of interest on Footprint?
Vish Gopalakrishnan: Georgia and Japan, this year.
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Written By
Adila Matra
Deputy EditorAdila Matra is a Delhi-based writer who likes to hop on board a bus and head to the Himalayas when she hears the call of the mountains. An ardent lover of hummus, Adila makes it a point to sample strange local dishes wherever she goes. When she is not travelling, she can be found lazing around, watching cool sci-fi shows or reading historical fiction.
