14th International Heritage Tourism Conclave

Date

25 Jul, 2025

Venue

Vadodara, Gujarat

PHDCCI’s 14th International Heritage Tourism Conclave calls for community-driven cultural tourism and policy innovation 

PHDCCI with the support of Ministry of Tourism, Government of India; Gujarat Tourism; Delhi Tourism; IndiGo; and IRCTC, successfully organised the 14th International Heritage Tourism Conclave with the theme ख़याल विरासत का on 25 July 2025 at LVP Banquets & Conventions, Lukshmi Villas Palace, Vadodara. 

The Conclave was inaugurated by Mr. Rajender Kumar (IAS), Secretary – Tourism, Civil Aviation, Devasthanam Management & Pilgrimage, Government of Gujarat. Also present in the Inaugural Session were His Highness Samarjitsinh Gaekwad, Maharaja of Baroda and Founding Member, Heritage Tourism Association of Gujarat; Mr. Mohamed Farouk, Regional Director – India Tourism Mumbai, Ministry of Tourism, Government of India; Mr. Rajan Sehgal, Co-Chair – Tourism Committee, PHDCCI; and Ms. Shalini S Sharma, Assistant Secretary General, PHDCCI. 

The session began with a Saraswati Vandana by students of the Faculty of Performing Arts, Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda. The inaugural session also witnessed the release of the PHDCCI-KPMG Heritage Tourism Report, which presents strategic insights into public-private partnerships for heritage conservation and tourism development. 

Highlights of the Conclave were: 

  • Session on ‘Vibrant Gujarat model for heritage-led tourism’ with speakers Ms. Khyati Nayak, Gujarat Tourism; Mr. Sanjeev Joshi, INTACH Vadodara Chapter; Mr. Anil Mulchandani, Author & Travel Writer and moderator Mr. Ranjit Sinh Parmar, Heritage Tourism Association of Gujarat. 
  • Session on ‘Reviving Shekhawati’s painted havelis’ with speakers Mr. Angad Deo Mandawa, Castle Mandawa; Ms. Urvashi Srivastava, Srijan Sanrakshan and moderator Ms. Shruti Nada Poddar, INTACH Shekhawati Chapter. 
  • Session on Culinary tourism with speakers Prof. Pushpesh Pant, Chef Manjit Gill and Dr. Kurush Dalal followed by a curated traditional Gujarati lunch titled ‘Bapor nu Bhojan’, with each dish accompanied by a narrative on its cultural origin. 
  • Case Study on ‘Champaner-Pavagadh: Reviving a forgotten capital’ by Dr. Amita Sinha, Professor, IIT (BHU), Varanasi. 
  • Session on ‘Women as Custodians of Culture’ with speakers HH Radhikaraje Gaekwad, Maharani of Baroda and HH Kadambaridevi Jadeja, Maharani of Rajkot. 
  • Session on ‘Architecture as a tourism narrative’ with speakers Dr. Alka Pande, Art Consultant and Curator; Ms. Anjchita B. Nair, Cultre; Ms. Priya Kapoor, International Heritage Conservation; Mr. Vijay Kamalakara, Storytrails and moderator Dr. Bhawana Vasudeva, MSU Baroda. 
  • Session on ‘Heritage transport as living history’ with speakers Mr. Tarun Thakral, Heritage Transport Museum; Mr. Madan Mohan, 21 Gun Salute Trust and moderator Mr. Aalap Bansal, KPMG India. 
  • Guided Heritage Walk of the Lukshmi Villas Palace, offering an immersive experience of the palace’s architecture, history and royal legacy. 
  • Over 25 structured B2B meetings were held between tourism boards, hospitality leaders, travel operators and cultural entrepreneurs to foster cross-sector collaboration and business development. 
  • A curated showcase of contemporary art by the Creative Team, PHDCCI with award-winning artists from Delhi, reflecting on Indian identity in a global context through visual interpretations of culture, colour and heritage. 

Among the industry partners of 14th IHTC were Mann Fleet Partners, ADTOI, FHRAI, Heritage HTA Gujarat, IATO, TAAI and VTAA. 

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