Two experienced travel industry professionals made redundant during the pandemic have joined forces to set up their own tour operation.
Jitesh Hirani and Rajeev Manral have set up Novaturient Tours & Travel, a tailormade tour operator offering trips to India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan, Maldives, Seychelles, Mauritius, Jordan, Oman and Dubai.
The pair, who worked together for 17 years at tour operator Indus Experiences prior to being made redundant in December last year, decided to combine their industry experience to set up Novaturient, which means ‘to seek powerful change in one’s life or situation’.
Hirani was a former director of the company, and looked after its corporate division, while Manral was the tours manager and put together itineraries and tours for the trade.
The Atol-bonded operator, set up under the banner of Protected Trust Services, will offer leisure and corporate travel and hopes to work closely with travel agents.
Manral plans to build on agent relationships developed during his career in tour operating to create trade partnerships for the new operator, which aims to deliver “flawless service and memorable experiences”.
He said: “We are challenging the concept and design of traditional tailormade holidays by incorporating brand new experiences, including off the beaten track adventures and carefully chosen, unique accommodation.”
Hirani said now was the “perfect time” to launch a new tour operation as international travel restarted after the pandemic. He added: “There is such a lot of pent-up demand. This is just the start of a very exciting journey for us and we can’t wait to show people how exceptional our holiday experiences can be.”