Sustainability NOW: Tourism and the Environment

Amit Sankhala is Managing Director & Owner, Jamtara Wilderness, Kanha Jungle Lodge & Bandhavgarh Jungle Lodge.With his vast knowledge and enthusiasm for eco-tourism, he has stepped in the shoes of his forefathers and has taken forward the mission of Tiger and Nature conversation. Amit is also an active trustee of Tiger Trust, spreading awareness and mustering support for the survival of the Tiger. His commitment to the TOFT campaign of training field guides has had a remarkable impact in improving the standards of field guides and enriching the experience for clients.

Ishita Khanna is the Founder & Director of Ecosphere, an award winning social enterprise working in Spiti, Himachal Pradesh on creating a synergy between responsible travel & sustainable development. She is also the co-founder of MUSE (an NGO) that has been working in Spiti since 2002 on various community programs. Her experience of working at the grassroots and passion for the environment and mountains have been the driving force for Ecosphere & MUSE - which enable her to live her philosophy. She was voted as an Mtv Youth Icon and has been featured in various magazines and articles as one of India's 50 leading social entrepreneurs. She has been awarded the Real Heroes award by CNN-IBN and is also an Ashoka Fellow.

Roopesh Rai is a Farmer at soul, Chef by heart, and a Brand Engineer for living. He is known for ‘many firsts’ in the hospitality and tourism industry and in his previous roles, has worked with Intercontinental hotels, Taj group of hotels, and Thomas Cook in senior sales and marketing positions before an event three months post-Kedarnath catastrophe – changed his life forever! Roopesh is the Founder of Green People, an international award-winning, young impact organization working towards integrated rural development. Some of Green People’s acclaimed initiatives include The Goat Village (rural & sustainable tourism), Bakri Swayamwar (gene pool improvisation of livestock by social engineering), and Bakri Chhap (a brand representing marginalized Himalayan farmers).

Shivya Nath is the founder of the award-winning travel blog - The Shooting Star, a bestselling author and a leading advocate of solo, offbeat, vegan and responsible travel. In 2013, she gave up her apartment, sold most of her belongings, stored some in the boot of a friend’s car and hit the road indefinitely. She has appeared on the cover of National Geographic Traveller India and been featured by The Washington Post among travel influencers changing the way we think about the world. Her work has appeared on BBC Travel, Conde Nast Traveller and many leading national and international publications. During the pandemic, she co-founded Voices of Rural India - a passion project that aims to build digital storytelling skills and alternate livelihoods among rural communities across India.