Roads less travelled

Tres founder Sowmya Rao Vijaymohan talks about her vision to establish an event platform to showcase the Indian subcontinent as a destination for leisure and luxury.
An image from Tres’ previous event
An image from Tres’ previous event

You often can’t put a price to experience, and Sowmya Rao Vijaymohan, an experienced hand at curating experiences of a lifetime, is well aware of this. Vijaymohan, founder-director at Tres, a showcase of unique travel experiences around the Indian sub-continent has wandered off the beaten track herself plenty of times, and always come back with plenty of stories to share.

After pursuing a career in advertising and public relations, in 2006, Vijaymohan said farewell to the corporate world, and helped conceptualise and build RARE: a marketing and representation company for small and off-beat boutique hotels across India.

"Having been in the travel industry for 13-odd years now, at RARE I was doing marketing and communications, sale strategies and consulting with small properties: these were family-owned boutique hotels that were owner-run, very far removed from the cookie-cutter hotels run by large hospitality brands. And the need to do that arose from my own desire to have holiday options for my family and myself, and that I could recommend to friends, which could provide a break from hectic city living," says Vijaymohan.

For Vijaymohan this meant truly disconnecting from the everyday, whether it was going on country rambles while learning different bird calls to exploring crumbling havelis in smaller towns not mentioned in the usual tourist maps.

"Over my career in the travel industry, I worked with over 60 truly unique properties around India and Nepal. When I had first started off in this particular niche of the travel industry, it could be challenging to get people to explore, whether it came to lesser-known destinations or non-branded hotels. People would complain about things like there being no room service, and the absence of luxuries. Today, however, people are more than happy to step out of their comfort zone, if it means experiencing something unique," says Vijaymohan.

In 2019, Vijaymohan decided to move on from RARE to focus on realising her vision of establishing an inclusive event platform dedicated to showcasing the Indian subcontinent as a destination for leisure, luxury and inspirational travel that is unique and transformational.

Tres is set to launch its third edition later this month, and 50 boutique hotels, destinations and travel concepts from around the subcontinent (India, Nepal, Bhutan and Sri Lanka) will be showcased at the event. Many of the exhibitors will be participating in a trade show in India for the first time.

"The increased access to luxury brands and services to a wider demographic audience has seen its effect in their expectations from travel that is constantly evolving making the task trickier for travel operators. Tres aims to bring boutique hotels and specialist experience providers in one platform for the international and regional travel operators to engage with," says Vijaymohan.

It is to further this end that the upcoming edition of Tres, to be held at Andaz New Delhi on March 27 and 28, will also introduce a special section dedicated to Travel Concepts; this will incorporate niche companies that specialising in curating interest-specific experiences. From viewing the Amer Fort at eye level with Travel Plan Experiences in Jaipur to traveling with nomads in Ladakh, with Mantra, the range of experiences is distinct and diverse all at the same time.

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The New Indian Express
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