Dehradun | 2024-04-20
Uttarakhand’s growing appeal as a pilgrimage, adventure and hill-station destination made Dehradun a fitting location for a new ADTOI chapter. At Hotel Moniack Garden in April 2024, national association office-bearers met state tourism officials and local industry leaders to establish the organisation’s thirteenth state chapter. Ved Khanna attended as ADTOI Treasurer, joining a national leadership team focused on connecting regional product knowledge with the wider Indian travel trade.
A working link between the state and the national travel market
Travel Trade Journal names then-president P. P. Khanna, Senior Vice President Rajat Sawhney, Vice President Ashish Sehgal, Treasurer Ved Khanna and Joint Secretary Manoj Varshney. State representatives included Tourism Additional Director Poonam Chand and Joint Director Yogendra Kumar Gangwar. The composition of the gathering tells an important story: this was not simply a private-agency networking reception.
The new chapter’s local leadership included Mahendra Ghildiyal of Mahendra Destinations, Mohit Gupta of Alpine Adventure and Sunil Kumar Saini of India Easy Trip. A functioning local chapter gives national sellers a route to state-specific suppliers, local operating knowledge and collective problem-solving for complex Himalayan journeys.
Ved Khanna in the national leadership delegation
The trade challenge in Uttarakhand is unusually varied. A Char Dham pilgrimage, a wildlife holiday near Corbett, a Kumaon village stay and an adventure itinerary have very different logistics, seasonality and guest-care requirements. Chapter development matters when that complexity is reflected in the products that travel advisers sell.
For Uttarakhand, the right supply-chain questions differ between Char Dham, adventure travel and wildlife stays. Buyers need honest seasonal guidance, supplier escalation contacts and safe route assumptions; a state chapter can become a point of institutional continuity for that work.
Connecting Himalayan expertise with national sellers
Contemporary accounts differ on whether the inauguration was held on 20 or 22 April; Travel Trade Journal reports 20 April. The date is an editorial check, not a reason to overlook the documented presence of Ved Khanna in the national delegation.
Industry experience and travel enterprise
Alongside his national association responsibilities, Ved Khanna is identified in ADTOI’s member directory as Managing Director of Tourwala Enterprises Pvt. Ltd., a Delhi-based domestic travel company. His experience in selling real journeys helps explain the commercial questions raised by destination promotion: access, dependable local partners, accurate itineraries and traveller expectations. The work described above was undertaken in his ADTOI capacity; it was not a government appointment or exclusive commercial assignment for Tourwala. Read more about his travel ventures.
Original reporting and event references
The reporting behind this account can be checked against the following original publications and institutional records: