WION Iconic Tourism Summit and Awards 2026: Key voices to discuss India’s tourism future

Notable personalities from India’s tourism and hospitality sector, along with senior policymakers, diplomats and industry leaders, will come together in New Delhi on September 23 for the WION Iconic Tourism Summit and Awards 2026. The summit will bring together key voices from across the tourism ecosystem to discuss the sector’s future, emerging opportunities, evolving trends and the challenges that could shape its growth in the years ahead.

The event will also recognise and honour achievers who have made notable contributions to the tourism sector, while providing a platform for policymakers, international representatives and industry stakeholders to exchange ideas and explore new opportunities for India’s tourism industry.

Union Minister for Tourism Gajendra Singh Shekhawat will attend the summit as the chief guest, while Kapil Mishra, Minister of Tourism and Art & Culture, Government of Delhi, will be the guest of honour.

The summit will also see the participation of ambassadors from Argentina, Greece, Suriname, Ireland, Slovakia, Cyprus, South Africa, Sri Lanka and Seychelles, along with prominent leaders from the tourism, aviation and hospitality sectors.

Among the industry leaders attending the event are Vikram Lalvani, MD & CEO, Sterling Holiday Resorts; Manish Puri, Head of Global Sales, Air India Limited & Air India Express; Jyoti Mayal, Chairperson, THSC and CEO, Red Hat Communications; and Vinay Malhotra, Head, Strategic Global Partnerships, VFS Global.

India’s tourism potential

The summit comes at a time when India’s tourism sector is witnessing strong growth, driven by domestic travel, international visitors, heritage tourism, hospitality and new travel experiences.

According to the Ministry of Tourism, India recorded around 4.29 billion domestic tourist visits and 25.27 million foreign tourist visits in 2025. The ministry’s latest data also shows that tourism accounted for 5.22 per cent of India’s GDP and supported around 84.63 million jobs, including direct and indirect employment.

India also has a vast heritage base that gives the country significant potential for cultural and heritage tourism. The UNESCO World Heritage Centre currently lists 45 properties from India on the World Heritage List, including 37 cultural properties, seven natural properties and one mixed property. India also has 73 sites on UNESCO’s Tentative List, offering a large pool of heritage locations with potential for future recognition and tourism development.

India’s tourism landscape extends beyond its historic monuments and heritage sites, with opportunities across nature, wildlife, spirituality, adventure, wellness, business and coastal tourism.

The event will begin at 10:30 am at ITC Maurya in New Delhi and will feature a series of panels covering various aspects of the tourism industry, including mobility, culture, bilateral ties, aviation, hospitality, infrastructure and technology. The event will also be broadcast on WION and its social media channels.

The key panels at the WION Iconic Tourism Summit and Awards are:

Panel 1: Borders without barriers: The diplomacy of visas & mobility (11:45 am to 12:30 pm)

Lalatiana Accouche: High Commissioner of Seychelles to India

Mariano Agustín Caucino: Ambassador of Argentina to India

Hanisha Jairam: Ambassador of Suriname to India

Anil Sooklal: High Commissioner of South Africa to India

Sharad Gowani: Head of Operations - India, VFS Global

In conversation: Next-gen skills for tourism

(12:30 pm to 12:45 pm)

Jyoti Mayal: Chairperson, THSC and CEO, Red Hat Communications

Tribhuvan Darbari: Chairman, BIMSTEC Business Council Secretariat, India

Panel 2: Soft power on the move: Tourism, culture & bilateral ties

(12:45 pm to 1:30 pm)

Kevin Kelly: Ambassador of Ireland to India

Robert Maxian: Ambassador of Slovakia to India

Evagoras Vryonides: High Commissioner of Cyprus to India

Nadeska Cuthbert: Ambassador of Nicaragua to India

Aliki Koutsomitopoulou: Ambassador of Greece to India

Mahishini Colonné: High Commissioner of Sri Lanka to India

Panel 3: The business of travel: Aviation, hospitality & India's tourism infra story

(2:15 pm to 3:00 pm)

Vikram Lalvani: MD & CEO, Sterling Holiday Resorts

Saurabh Tiwari: Vice President, Middle East, Maldives & Sri Lanka, IHCL (Taj Dubai)

Muktesh Pardeshi: Former Secretary and Former Ambassador to Türkiye & New Zealand

Manish Puri: Head of Global Sales, Air India Limited & Air India Express

Ahmed Hamed Sharbak: Regional Manager (APAC), Visit Qatar

Kamal Munasinghe: Sr. Vice President, Colombo Hotels & General Manager, Cinnamon Life at City of Dreams, Sri Lanka

Panel 4: Tech frontiers reshaping journeys

(3:00 pm to 3:45 pm)

Abhilash Kalathil Ramesh: Executive Director, Kairali Ayurvedic Group

Sachin Pabreja: Co-founder and CEO, EazyDiner

Vinay Malhotra: Head, Strategic Global Partnerships, VFS Global

Achin Sharma: Chief Digital Officer, GMR Cargo, WAISL Ltd

Anil Parashar: Executive Director, InterGlobe Technology Quotient Pvt Ltd

The event will also be attended by Bhuvnesh Kumar, Secretary, Union Ministry of Tourism; Ravi Nandan Sinha, Director, Strategic Investments & Economic Partnerships, MSME Business Forum India; Jyotsna Suri, Chairperson & MD, The Lalit Suri Hospitality Group; and Priya Paul.