India: Off the beaten track with Luxury Gold’s Rohit Kohli

Hawa Mahal palace (Palace of the Winds) in Jaipur, Rajasthan

For the average traveller, a few questions may come to mind when considering a trip to India.

It’s known for its vibrant colours, spicy flavours, rich cultural history, lively festivals and bustling markets.

But worries about negotiating busy crowded streets, poverty and street crime may come to mind and deter people from visiting the otherwise beautiful and sought after location.

We spoke with Luxury Gold’s India expert, Rohit Kohli about some of the misconceptions about travelling in the country and to get some great tips on how to explore its off the beaten track locations.

Rohit_SLS

Kohli told us Aussie travellers have several misconceptions about India, but the main one is the street crime.

“India is a country of 1.2 billion people, and while it does have big city problems, the population of Delhi is 24 million, which is around the same as the whole of Australia,” he told us.

“We do have issues but the one thing we don’t have much street crime, in reality.”

To escape the bustle of big city life, Luxury Gold’s India trips focus on cultural immersion and exploring off the beaten track locations.

“We focus on the real India,” he told us.

“Getting under the skin of the destination and really understanding the country more than just seeing it.”

“Our programs include amazing experiences that people remember when they go back rather than just taking pictures.”

colorful main ghat in varanassi

If you want a trip like no other, Kohli recommends Bikaner and Jaisalmer, which he says are incredibly uncommon destinations for the Australian market.

“These destinations we have a lot to offer in terms of cultural experiences,” he said.

“These trips are exclusive to what we do in the market.”

“I’m not saying these aren’t easily copied or no one else can offer them but having said, no one else is doing them because no one else has researched them.”

As a destination, India is growing in the Australian market and Kohli told us there is a huge amount of demand and interest.

“Travel agents tend to benefit from selling a destination like India because it is more experiential and wholesome.”

“India tends to be a destination that keeps people engaged.”

“We encourage all the agents to study up on India, our challenge has been that a lot of travel agents don’t know enough about the destination so by that they’re not able to sell it correctly.”

“We have been running a webinar, and we would love for as many agents to sign up and learn about the destination and learn about what we do.”

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Bikaner and Jaisalmer cultural immersion luxury gold off the beaten track Rohit Kohli