ILLUME 2026
ILLUME 2026
Inside the World of Luxury: Trends, Influence, and the Future of Affluent Travel in India
ILLUME 2026 examines how India’s unprecedented expansion of wealth is reshaping the global luxury landscape — from travel to retail, from culture to craftsmanship.
As India’s affluent population grows not only in size but in sophistication, their behaviours, expectations, and spending power are redefining how luxury is created, experienced, and valued worldwide. Legacy markers are giving way to new expressions of identity, influence, and aspiration.
This edition explores India’s luxury transformation through multiple lenses: the forces fuelling wealth creation, how global brands and destinations are adapting to attract Indian travellers, how weddings have evolved into immersive luxury ecosystems, and how India’s elite are rewriting the codes of exclusivity.
ILLUME 2026 brings clarity to the shifts shaping aspiration in modern India — and to the influence India now exerts on global luxury.
The Setting:
Location: Jaipur, India
Venue: The Leela Palace, Jaipur
Access: By Invitation Only
Speakers
Global voices influencing the
future of luxury
Chef Vicky Ratnani
Chef, Restaurateur, Culinary Consultant, Television Host & Thought Leader
From television kitchens to high-impact consulting, from Sindhi storytelling to global grill menus, Chef Vicky Ratnani has built a career rooted in flavour, fire, and fearless individuality. In 2009, Vicky Ratnani became a household name as the host of Vicky Goes Veg on NDTV Good Times. The show redefined vegetarian cooking on Indian television — bold, stylish, contemporary, and aspirational.
Shan Bhatnagar
Artist, Interior Designer & Hotelier
Shan Bhatnagar is an Economics graduate from the University of Maryland, but left the corporate world to become a full-time & self-taught artist. Shan is also deeply inspired by Jaipur, where he lives and works & this shows through - in his choices of brilliant hues. Besides being a professional artist, Shan is also a curator especially dealing in the traditional Pichwai paintings of Nathdwara. He has his own personal collection and also helps others to build their collection of authentic pichwai paintings & antiques. He was recently asked to curate the Krishna art pavilion for the Ambanis, as part of the reliance foundation. His most recent contribution to the world of design and hospitality is one of the most talked about projects in Jaipur, his very own boutique hotel called Laalee.
Geetanjali Kasliwal
Founder -Anantaya, Co-founder AKFD
Geetanjali Kasliwal is an architect, entrepreneur and leadership mentor. Founder of AnanTaya and Co-Founder of AKFD, renowned for reviving India’s craft heritage through sustainable, design-led enterprises. She has been honoured with the Top 10 Most Powerful People of Rajasthan 2024, and many more prestigious accolades. Her brands have earned global recognition. She is also the co-founder of MaahiRoj, the world’s first festival on sustainable living. Together with Ayush, she aspires to positively impact the lives of one million artisans.
Ajaita Shah
Founder & CEO – Frontier Markets
Ajaita Shah is a visionary entrepreneur, philanthropist and impact investor with over 22 years of experience, driving transformational impact across rural India. As a leader in gender inclusion and impact investing, Ajaita has dedicated her career to unlocking economic opportunities for women in last mile rural communities, through her social enterprise - Frontier Markets. Frontier Markets has pioneered innovative AI-enabled mobile technology that has empowered more than 40,000+ women entrepreneurs – called Sahelis. Ajaita is also the fifth generation of a Rajasthan family that has built its institutional legacy through land and the jewellery trade. Additionally, She serves as General Partner at two leading impact funds and is the founder of She Leads India.
Veronica Rodriguez
Experiences & Luxury Travel Expert, The Real Thing, Spain
Veronica Rodriguez – a curator of access, authenticity, and the kind of Spain that most travellers never get to see! With over 24 years of experience in the tourism industry, she has held senior leadership roles across marketing, international promotion, and destination strategy. Her expertise spans premium leisure travel, as well as MICE and medical tourism, with a deep understanding of the global luxury travel ecosystem. After 14 years with the Barcelona Tourism Board in multiple management positions, she went on to establish her own international consulting practice. Known for her strong leadership, collaborative approach, and business-focused mindset, she is passionate about building successful projects and guiding teams to achieve meaningful results.
Silvia Rico
CEO & Founder, Enigma Peru
Silvia Rico, Founder of Enigma Peru — someone who has built her reputation on unlocking the extraordinary in one of the world's most outstanding destinations. Silvia is a passionate traveller and entrepreneur, originally half Spanish and Bolivian, and raised in Europe. After building a successful marketing career with global multinationals, she took a sabbatical that led her to the founding of Enigma in Peru. For over two decades, Enigma has specialised in creating exceptional, tailor-made journeys across Peru, known for its creativity, deep local connections, and extraordinary attention to detail. Today, Silvia leads a team of over 40 across Cusco and Lima, with Enigma proudly holding a B-Corp re-certification.” Silvia is a passionate traveller & a devoted mum.
Olivier Mercien-Ferol
Co-Founder – Executive Director, Touring Treasures, Australia
Co-Founder – Executive Director, Touring Treasures, Australia Olivier Mercien-Ferol is a seasoned business leader whose career has been defined by a combination of financial expertise, entrepreneurial drive, and an uncompromising passion for travel. A Parisian native who has lived in the French Caribbean and the South Pacific, worked on five continents, and travelled to over fifty countries, Mercien-Ferol brings a genuinely global perspective to everything he does. He says, “I learned to adapt a glass-half-full approach, allowing me to stay balanced and manage delicate situations.” In 2003, he and his wife, Suzy, founded Touring Treasures, born out of their shared frustration with a travel industry that consistently failed to recognize their needs as discerning travellers.
Sushmit Nath
Head of Visa’s Advisory Practice for India and South Asia.
Sushmit Nath partners closely with banks, fintechs, and ecosystem players to drive growth across payments, consumer finance, and digital commerce, with a strong focus on data driven decisioning and scalable transformation programs. His work spans high impact engagements focused on credit growth, spend activation, profitability improvement, and next generation payments innovation. A frequent speaker at industry forums and client events, Sushmit shares perspectives on the evolution of payments in emerging markets and how institutions can build resilient, future ready business models. He has worked extensively with banking and payments companies across India, Singapore, and Mexico, bringing a global perspective grounded in strong local market insight.
Sameer Garg
Executive Vice President and Regional Branch Banking Head at Axis Bank
Sameer Garg is a seasoned banking and financial services leader with over 25 years of cross‑industry experience, spanning banking, insurance, and global aviation—bringing a rare, holistic perspective on premium customers, experience-led growth, and ecosystem partnerships. He currently serves as Executive Vice President and Regional Branch Banking Head at Axis Bank, where he leads large, diverse markets with a sharp focus on customer-centricity, digital enablement, and sustainable business growth. He is deeply interested in leveraging technology, analytics, and AI to enhance customer experience, and balances this with a personal passion for well-being, learning agility, and Ayurveda.
Khushboo Rastogi
Founder of Luxury Tribe
With over 16 years in luxury travel, lifestyle, and events, she knows the HNI and UHNI traveller inside out. She champions relationship-driven business exchanges—the very heart of Luxury Tribe.
Vish GopalaKrishnan
CEO footprint holidays
He is an experienced Chief Executive Officer with a demonstrated history of creating brands. He has been on the cutting edge of the luxury travel business for years. 'Footprint' is regarded as the most successful luxury agency in India. Highly skilled in building startups, scale, brand, managing revenues, new project roll-outs, and skilled teams. – over 28 years of experience in all aspects of business in Luxury Travel, Retail, and Advertising industries.
Amit Kalssi
Founder & CEO - Experiential travel journeys
Amit Kalssi is the Founder & CEO of a New Delhi–based boutique luxury travel design company curating private, tailor-made journeys worldwide from immersive cultural travel to high-end adventure and expedition itineraries. With 32 years in travel and tourism, including the last 15 years dedicated to luxury travel, Amit is known for translating a client’s priorities into journeys that feel personal, authentic, and meticulously executed. On stage, he brings a practitioner’s lens on luxury traveller psychology, destination innovation, and what truly defines “experiential” travel today.
Reena Popat
Founder - Bespoke Weddings Abroad
Reena Popat is the founder of Bespoke Weddings Abroad, a London-based luxury destination wedding consultancy specialising in Indian weddings for global and NRI families across Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia. With over 18 years of experience in the luxury events industry, Reena works with high-net-worth clients and international hospitality partners to curate highly personalised multi-day celebrations in iconic destinations - from Mediterranean coastal towns and historic European estates to vibrant cultural destinations such as Sri Lanka and India.
Jinal Patel
Co founder and Partner - The Doli Diary
Jinal Patel is the Co-founder and Partner of The Doli Diary, a Mumbai-based wedding planning and design studio known for creating elegant, bespoke celebrations across India and beyond. With a strong focus on personalisation and thoughtful design, she leads the team in crafting weddings that are both visually refined and deeply meaningful to the couples they celebrate. Through The Doli Diary, Jinal blends storytelling, aesthetics and meticulous planning to bring each celebration to life - from intimate gatherings to large-scale destination weddings. Under her leadership, The Doli Diary has built a reputation for designing weddings that feel both personal and effortlessly elegant.
Bhakti Taunk
Director – Eastern Travels
Bhakti Taunk is a third-generation owner and Director at Eastern Travels Pvt. Ltd. She graduated with Economics honors from St. Xaviers College Mumbai. With over 15 years of experience, she specialises in curating rare, deeply personalised travel experiences for discerning travellers. Known for her keen eye for detail, Bhakti has played a key role in shaping bespoke journeys that prioritise authenticity, access, and transformative travel.
Ekta Saigal Lulla
Founder & Partner ESL Events & Weddings by ESL
Ekta Saigal Lulla, a Tourism graduate from Mumbai University kickstarted her career with the hospitality industry. She opened the Flagship property of Marriott in India – The JW Marriott Juhu, Mumbai. After her successful decade with the hospitality industry she decided to plunge into deeper waters and joined hands with a common mind to start an Events and Wedding Company. Weddings by ESL, a product of passion, was incorporated 15 years ago in February 2011. Born out of the desire to create a truly client focused agency with a strong creative twist.
Sharanjit Leyl
International Broadcaster
A familiar face on global screens, Sharanjit Leyl has brought you the news from Asia on BBC World News, Bloomberg Television and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation for a quarter of a century. Singaporean by birth, she's produced and presented documentaries on TV and radio about her city on the BBC and covered many breaking news stories live and on location. A champion of the Arts, Sharanjit holds leadership roles at the Fashion Museum of Bath where she co-Chairs the Board of Trustees and heads the DEI committee at The Holburne Museum. In May 2024, Sharanjit made history as the first Singaporean appointed Chancellor of a UK university — Bath Spa University — succeeding her predecessor Oscar-winner Jeremy Irons. As a result, she divides her time between her homes in Singapore and Bath.
Anshul Shah
CEO - ALL 4 SEASON
A distinguished leader in India’s luxury travel industry, he has been instrumental in shaping the growth of All 4 Seasons since 2010 with a clear vision to elevate the brand. Deeply engaged with the industry, he has served as Chairman of Tourism at the Gujarat Chamber of Commerce and Industry and as a Committee Member of the Travel Agents Federation of India. Known for his commitment to creating highly personalized, high-quality travel experiences, he continues to play an important role in advancing luxury travel in India.
Loveleen Multani Arun
CO-Founder-Director - Panache World
With a distinguished career spanning across hospitality and travel, Loveleen Arun began her journey with the Taj Group of Hotels, followed by The Imperial in New Delhi, and later Cox & Kings, where she led operations for South India. In 2001, she co-founded Panache and has since become one of India’s most respected luxury travel advisors. Recognized by several global networks like Traveller Made, she is one of the premier Luxury Travel advisors in India. She Known for her deep destination expertise and strong global relationships!
Sanjar Imam
Founder - Panache world
Sanjar Imam has spent nearly four decades designing exceptional travel experiences and shaping the landscape of luxury travel. His career began with Cox & Kings, where he led the Indian Subcontinent operations and later built a Business Development Division, expanding the company worldwide. 25 years ago he founded Panache World, a company dedicated to crafting highly personalised journeys, now covering more than 90 countries. He continues to guide Panache World with a focus on authenticity, creativity, and thoughtful travel design. Sanjar also writes on travel and luxury for The Economic Times.
Sheetal Rastogi
Co-founder & Editorial Director, Luxury Tribe India & World Travel Magazine
Sheetal Rastogi is the co-founder of Luxury Tribe and Editorial Director of World Travel Magazine. With 22+ years in media and publishing across the UK, India, and Singapore, she launched World Travel Magazine in Southeast Asia and is now bringing it to India. An alumna of the University of Strathclyde and Miranda House, Sheetal has been an ambassador for Global Wellness Day and is known for her editorial foresight and passion for luxury travel. Her leadership combines deep storytelling with strategic insight into evolving luxury markets.
Opening Remarks
SHEETAL RASTOGI
Founder
Luxury Tribe
Introduction
SHARANJIT LEYL
Moderator
International Broadcast Journalist
Benchmark 2026 Report
KHUSHBOO RASTOGI
Founder
Luxury Tribe
Panel 1
India's Wealth Map 2026
The Next Cities. The Next Millionaires.The Next Rise.
SHARANJIT LEYL
Moderator
International Broadcast Journalist
SAMEER GARG
Executive VP &Regional Branch Banking Head Axis Bank
SUSHMIT NATH
Head of Visa Consulting &Analytics
India & South Asia
Panel 2
New to India, Open for India
Three Destinations Making Their Case
SHARANJIT LEYL
Moderator
International Broadcast Journalist
OLIVIER MERCIEN-FEROL
Co-Founder
Touring Treasures, Australia
SILVIA RICO
Founder
Enigma Peru
VERONICA RODRIGUEZ
Experiences & Luxury Travel Expert
The Real Thing, Spain
Panel 3
Jaipur Unfiltered
Three Global Citizens onWhat Luxury Travellers Truly Seek-and Why India is Finally Ready to Deliver
SHARANJIT LEYL
Moderator
International Broadcast Journalist
AJAITA SHAH
Founder & CEO
Frontier Markets
GEETANIALI KASLIWAL
Founder –Anantaya
Co-Founder – AKFD
SHAN BHATNAGAR
Artist
Interior Designer and Hotelier
Panel 4
Taste as Capital
Decoding the Indian Affluent Palate
SHARANJIT LEYL
Moderator
International Broadcast Journalist
CHEF VICKY RATNANI
Culinary Consultant, Author, Founder
Gourmet Gyan Studios
Fireside Chat 1
The India Conversion Code
How Indian Luxury Travel Is Actually Sold- and Why Some of the Deals Die Right After Sounds Great'
LOVELEEN MULTANI ARUN
Founder-Director
Panache World
ANSHUL SHAH
CEO
All 4 Season
BHAKTI TAUNK
Director
Eastern Travels
Fireside Chat 2
The Indian Wedding Opportunity
From Proposals to Weddings to Honeymoons
EKTA SAIGAL
ESL Events & Weddings by ESL
JINAL PATEL
The Doli Diary
REENA POPAT
Bespoke Weddings Abroad
Fireside Chat 3
Show Me The Money
What Indian UHNW & HNI Clients Actually Spend- By Trip, By Type, By Moment
SHEETAL RASTOGI
Founder
Luxury Tribe
AMIT KALSSI
Founder & CEO
Experiential Travel Journeys
SANJAR IMAM
Founder
Panache World
VISH GOPALAKRISHNAN
CEO
Footprint Holidays
THE EXPERIENCE
An Intelligence-Led Forum
ILLUME operates as an editorial forum— guided by intelligence, interpretation, and informed perspective.
ILLUME 2026 focuses on the deeper forces influencing India’s luxury evolution, examining how wealth, culture, and identity are converging to shape global influence.
Through carefully structured conversations and insight-driven exchange, the forum examines:
- The momentum behind India’s expanding luxury economy and its impact across global markets
- How destinations, hospitality brands, and experience creators are recalibrating offerings for India’s affluent traveller
- The emergence of weddings as immersive luxury ecosystems, where craft, creativity, and storytelling converge
- The shifting codes of exclusivity — how India’s wealthy define meaning, rarity, and aspiration today
ILLUME does not pursue trends.
It interprets the movements shaping the future of luxury.
