Mohit Aggarwal

CEO

Phone: +91 9911020246

Address: Asian Adventures, A-32, Sector 04, Noida 201301, India

Website: www.asianadventures.net

Email: mohit.aggarwal@asianadventures.in

• He has helped establish Asian Adventures as an iconic organisation that is on its path to promoting conservation-travel and ecotourism.
• He runs the organisation with the motto of Tourism for Conservation, Conservation for Tourism.
• He is the founder of an iconic event - the Global Wildlife Fair
• He now serves as vice-chair of the Asian Ecotourism Network
• He is the founder of Delhi Earth Walks - a programme designed to help the citizens get closer to nature
• He served as a committee member of Responsible Tourism in the Indian Association of Adventure Tour Operators
• He has been an active member of the working group for setting ecotourism standards in the National Certification of Conservation of Forests
• He has rich and diversified experience in leading and growing all domains of the business to make it a dynamic and progressive organisation
• He has set in place a roadmap to achieve ambitious, predetermined goals
• Inclusivity, training and the pursuit of Kaizen in standardisation of systems and automation are the key pillars of Asian Adventures
• He is an excellent networker and is on a first-name basis ‌with customers, suppliers and stakeholders across the world
• He is technically astute and has trained his team to work with emerging business tools to help catapult the organisation towards ever greater success
• He's always ready for challenging assignments to test his capabilities to make a real difference in the world of tourism and conservation
• He has set up a digital vertical called Natty Netter for value letter creation, storytelling and enhancing customer experiences

EXPERIENCE

Asian Adventures
June 1994 to Present

Owner and CEO

• Developed Asian Adventures into an iconic name that promotes conservation of the environment and responsible tourism through the expeditions and trips it offers across the Indian subcontinent.

• Grew the organisation into an all-encompassing entity, not only in terms of destinations spread across geographically but also the genres of travelling.

• Coordinated with a dedicated team to help the organisation reach new heights. The growing age of the establishment has only brought three elements in abundance, namely promising ideas to add new dimensions to travelling, aggressiveness to serve each client in the best possible manner and maintaining the highest standards of quality and commitment. The travel solutions offered carry transparency, uniqueness and an incredible experience in the end.

• Established eco-lodges to promote responsible tourism in destinations like Sundarban National Park, Gir National Park, Bandhavgarh National Park, Corbett Tiger Reserve, Doon Valley, Pangot, Jageshwar and Abbott Mount. Asian Adventures is now the largest ground operator in India in bird tourism.

TRAFFIC - India
March 1990 to February 1994

Project Officer

TRAFFIC is a wildlife trade monitoring unit supported jointly by CITES, the UN and WWF. The acronym TRAFFIC stands for Trade Record Analysis of Flora & Fauna in Commerce.

I spent 4 years under the mentorship of Mr. Ashok Kumar. He was the first conservationist who brought the Indian Wildlife Act into the limelight, which further resulted in policy changes to save the Asian elephant and its habitat with greater and more effective measures.

I worked under his guidance on issues that were related to the illicit trade in tiger parts, ivory, musk, bear bile and bird trafficking.

KEY SKILLS AND COMPETENCIES

• GSTC certified in Sustainable Tourism
• Visionary leadership
• Organizational restructuring
• Strategic alliances
• Tactical market planning
• Risk assessment and mitigation
• High-stakes negotiations
• Sales forecasting
• Public and media relations
• Ever-evolving knowledge of the ecotourism industry
• Networking
• Training

PROJECTS

Working with a community village, Chhoti Haldwani, near Corbett National Park

The community ecotourism project was started about 15 years ago with the help of funding from the government of Uttarakhand. The objective was to have the youth get involved in ecotourism that would help them with their livelihood and keep their traditions alive. The focus was on saving elephant corridors and conserving nature at the grassroots level.

After 10 years of tenure, the funding was stopped as the project's limit was reached. We stepped in and helped them set up a self-sustaining business model by setting up a small restaurant. This gave a tremendous boost to the project.

Thereafter, the Wildlife Trust of India stepped in to work with the youth to secure and monitor the elephant population in the region.

Zero Waste - Himalayas

We started this project in association with Chintan, a toxic waste NGO. The thought process is to set up a model village in the Himalayan Foothills that would be free of non-biodegradable matter. Now the work is being carried forward in association with the Hotel Association of Pangot, and we are seeking support from the Nature Science Initiative.

Pangot is a birdwatching hub. Jungle Lore Birding Lodge was the first birding lodge set up by Asian Adventures in 2001.

Electronic Fencing at Kaziranga and Elephant Corridor Signages

Asian Adventures has contributed in many ways in the past. Some funds have been directed to the ‘Rapid Action Process’, where money was needed for immediate support.

Supported Titli Trust to protect butterflies and moths

The NGO is focused on capacity building and eco-tourism workshops. We have attempted to work closely with them. We have generated funds to run the workshops.

The next project is to survey the endangered grey-crowned prinia in the Himalayan region.

Sponsored Oriental Bird Club

Contributed to one event of OBC

Set up eco-friendly homestays

Helped three eco-homestays with service standards, best practices, functioning and seeking business

Funded an NGO  called ‘The Bagh Foundation’ for Tiger conservation.

The magazine issues that related to Tiger Conservation were funded by us.

Helping an NGO ‘Vatavaran Rhizhome’ to save Rhesus Macaques

A leading primatologist, Dr Iqbal Malik, leads the team. We are helping the project with management techniques and systems.

Support for Events

Supported many events with souvenirs and printed literature

• Delhi Bird Club, with its outings
• Local bird and photography clubs
• Uttarakhand Ecotourism Society for its training
• Bird races in Delhi
• Helped with systems and lectures for Guide Training Workshops

CERTIFICATIONS

Member - Adventure Tour Operators Association of India

ATOAI | Chair & Committee Member – Responsible Tourism Committee

Member - Association of Domestic Tour Operators of India

ADTOI

Member - Tour Operators for Tigers

TOFT

Member - The Association of Tourism Trade Organisations

ATTOI

Member - Business Network International

BNI Empezar and Olympus, Noida (Ex-member)

ACADEMIC QUALIFICATIONS

Millionaire Mastermind

The old school of pyramidal and multi-level management processes took on the new shape of pipelines that erased bottlenecks and leakages in the business systems. This turned around the management system in the company. A hugely successful programme that I took part in for 6 months.

Master Networker Programme

Graduate

The inner science of expounding energy to achieve inclusivity and see the world as my world is the key that was handed over to me at this 1-year-long programme by the founder, Mr. Paritosh Pathak, the only networking coach in India

Graduate

The study conducted by one of the finest business coaches of India, Mr. Rahul Jain, revealed a new age method using technical tools to enhance efficiency, profitability and visibility. This one-year-long course helped me help Asian Adventures to grow further and restructure its processes and systems.

Growth with digital.

The 6-month course in digital marketing, handcrafted by Mr. Manuj Bajaj especially for entrepreneurs, made the entire organisation move on the fast track. Asian Adventures embraced rapid technology and methods for its growth. The tourism industry is currently facing an enormous challenge to compete with digital advancements.

I went to school in Amritsar, the city of the Golden Temple in North India.

It is a Catholic missionary school where a lot of focus is on value systems related to humility, giving and service. It was slowly built into me as well, of which I am reaping the fruit today.

High School, CBSE

Spent two years here polishing my creative and language skills before heading to Delhi University.

PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS

College & Beyond India

DISTINGUISHED CLIENTS

Pamela Cecile Rasmussen

Pamela Cecile Rasmussen is a prominent American ornithologist and expert on Asian birds. She was formerly a research associate at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., and is based at Michigan State University. She is associated with other major centres of research in the United States and the United Kingdom.

She rediscovered the forest owlet in Central India that was thought to be extinct.

John Laing & Family

Rufford Foundation

The leading clergy of the UK to support many projects in Tiger Reserves

Sheikh Talal of Saudi Arabia

Chartered a plane to visit India and its wild wonders

Abbott Diagnostika

Germany

Chartered Palace-on-Wheels for their incentive tours

Disabled Bird Watchers' Association

We specialise in handling elderly and disabled wildlife lovers. Among many that we have handled so far, Mr. Blatherwick and his wife, the erstwhile UK ambassador to the USA, travelled with us on a 2-week bird and wildlife tour.

Vivek Menon - the leading conservationist of India

Wildlife Trust of India is one of the leading species conservation organisations in India. Asian Adventures has been fortunate to serve it frequently, including at their annual conferences.

LANGUAGES

English, Hindi, Punjabi