Mr. Prateek Hira
admin2021-05-10T12:43:43+05:30Advisor
Core Business: Tourism – Founder President & CEO of Tornos – an experiential travel
company that prides itself in being a micro-destination management company operating
since 1994 and catering in specific geographic areas and offering knowledge based
products. His other venture, Indian Frontiers is India-centric tour operator with special
interest in British India tour from 1757 through 1947. Indian Frontiers operates niche
tours catering to luxury travellers primarily from UK, Australia and New Zealand.
Recently Gastroutes has been launched as a specialist and focused pan-India brand
specialising in Gastronomy as its main domain, while River Rhapsody is a different
independent company with river cruise and luxury river-side camping being its main
activity.
Prateek Hira has been mentioned as out-of-box tour operator by leading travel
magazines. In fact the concept of walking tours was initiated by Prateek way back in
1994, probably when industry in India may not have known about this concept.
Presumably India’s first food walk was started by him in his own city, Lucknow in 1995,
when street food was unimaginably being offered to foreign tourists by him. Prateek has
been awarded by ABP News & World Federation of Hospitality Professionals with its
most coveted award, ‘Most Influential Leaders In Travel Industry’ in 2019.
He is also the Chairman of IATO – Indian Association of Tour Operators for the states
Uttar Pradesh and Uttrakhand. Till August 2019 Prateek was also the Chairman for
states of Bihar and Jharkhand. Other professional memberships include PATA, FICCI,
INTACH and World Food Travel Association.
Prateek has two major researches to his credit, one on Sri Lanka Tourism as a part of
his research for The Leeds Metropolitan University, while another research by him was
on Senior Tourism for Center of Tourism Recreation Research. He has recently co-
authored a book, ‘Diary of William Young – 1878-81’ and has been a consulting editor
for a book, ‘Conservation and Promotion of Heritage Tourism’ by IGI Global, US. He has
two Post Graduate degrees to his credit, one in tourism while another in economics and
is academically quite active by not only serving on the boards of many Indian
universities but also teaching tourism in many universities, including University of
Wales, UK.
