Kesari MICE, a specialised division of Kesari Tours based in Pune, has built a strong presence in the Indian tourism industry with its innovative approach and comprehensive corporate travel solutions. Under the leadership of Zelam Chaubal, Director, Kesari MICE, the company adheres to a customer-first philosophy, shaping the future of corporate travel and events in India. Zelam shares key trends and insights on how Kesari MICE delivers services that give the company a competitive edge in the global arena.

Kesari MICE provides personalised end-to-end service packages that cover every aspect of a corporate event, from pre-event preparations to post-event settlements. Its experienced professionals bring fresh, theme-based ideas for meetings, incentives, conferences, seminars, exhibitions, trade fairs, tournaments, and even educational tours for students.

Seamless End-to-End MICE Management

Once a client outlines basic requirements and finalises a destination, corporate tour experts step in to manage everything else. From travel and accommodation to entertainment and event coordination, the team ensures seamless execution at every stage. Backed by industry experience, meticulous planning, and research-based strategies, Kesari MICE guarantees smooth operations and optimised outcomes for every programme.

Scaling New Heights

Zelam explains that 2025 has been a landmark year for the company. Speaking about the latest developments and projects that the company has been able to achieve this year, Zelam said, “This has been a milestone year for us, with a larger number of groups and a big breakthrough in larger events. This year is significant because we expanded our groups to Australia, Europe, Hong Kong, and Vietnam, in addition to our routine trips to Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Abu Dhabi, and Dubai. We are also proud to have corporates from various industries. From the event space, we could manage larger events in London, Paris, Malta, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Baku, Thailand, Abu Dhabi, Lonavala, Goa, Jaipur, and Dubai under Kesari Events, and it was a great success.”

Emerging Destinations Driving MICE Growth

According to Zelam, the demand for Indian MICE has grown drastically, which is a significant change they have observed. While Delhi, Mumbai, and Bengaluru remain the leaders in the domestic market, other cities are quickly emerging as hotspots. She also said, “Nainital, Himachal, and Rajasthan, mainly Jaipur and Udaipur, and also Hyderabad, Kochi, and Surat, are gaining traction within India. Internationally, Vietnam, Baku (before the war), Abu Dhabi, Sri Lanka, Australia, New Zealand, Scandinavia, and even South America are being considered as elite corporate MICE destinations. At the same time, demand for newer international destinations has grown. Baku, Vietnam, Malta, Abu Dhabi, etc., are a few of these examples.”

Challenges and Opportunities

Zelam identifies pressing challenges around visas, airline capacity, and skilled manpower. She mentioned, “Getting visa appointments for some countries and in-time visas, airline seats for last-minute confirmations, and skilled people are a few of the challenges. Indian MICE requires better infrastructure, which is improving, but hindrances still prevail. Indian corporates should confirm business much in advance, as the Western world does, to secure better prices and ensure smooth functioning. There is an excellent opportunity as newer MICE destinations are rapidly emerging. Many new airlines are entering the Indian market, and as connectivity improves, so does the MICE sector. Additionally, many countries implement incentive schemes to attract MICE to their country, which helps determine the destination. In the coming years, AI will help fast-forward MICE for the better.”

Staying Competitive

For Kesari MICE, the focus remains on delivering customer delight through innovation. “Today’s MICE is very competitive, but is the customer experience delightful? We are focusing on strategic innovation, leveraging AI to enhance the overall customer experience within our business. Whatever MICE event we host, we ensure that every minute detail is taken care of, so every event is 100 per cent successful. Our top priority is customer experience,” noted Zelam.

Strengthening India’s MICE Ecosystem

Zelam underlines the importance of a collective approach to strengthen India’s position as a global MICE destination. She stresses the role of government and industry bodies in creating the right ecosystem for growth.

“To develop Indian MICE, government bodies should develop infrastructure, have a collective strategy focusing on developing and attracting MICE in the country, and promote India as a MICE destination with collaboration between the public and private sectors. We need a strong national MICE brand, convention bureaus at the state levels, and incentives, along with streamlined regulations and supportive policies for MICE organisers. Promoting sustainable and responsible tourism will enhance India’s MICE destination appeal,” concluded Zelam.

India will continue to look at ways to work with the Taliban, including hosting its UN sanctioned leader Amir Khan Muttaqi in New Delhi, officials said.

Amir Khan Muttaqi, the Taliban’s acting foreign minister, was due to make his first trip to India in August but failed to secure a waiver on his existing travel ban by the United Nations Security Council.

He was sanctioned by the UNSC in 2001 over the acts and activities of the Taliban in Afghanistan during the hardline Islamist group’s previous rule in the 1990s.

On being asked about Muttaqi’s planned visit to India, Indian foreign ministry spokesperson Randhir Singh Jaiswal told reporters that India continues to engage with Afghan authorities.

“As you are aware, we have longstanding ties with the people of Afghanistan. India continues to support the aspirations and developmental needs of the Afghan people. We continue to have engagements with Afghan authorities,” he said last week.

According to officials in New Delhi, a waiver for Muttaqi was sought from the UNSC but it was not given clearance, in a move reportedly blocked by Pakistan.

The 1988 sanctions committee – a subsidiary body of the Security Council to oversee the implementation of sanctions – is currently led by Pakistan. It is overseeing the travel bans imposed on the Taliban leaders along with assets freeze and an arms embargo.

The Indian side will continue to look into ways to host the acting foreign minister and the visit is expected to proceed in the coming months after the waiver on the travel ban is addressed in the interest of regional cooperation, sources told The Independent.

If the waiver is granted, the visit from Muttaqi will bump India into a brief list of nations that have hosted the sanctioned Taliban leader – joining the ranks of China and Russia who have engaged with the fundamentalist group despite censure.

The India visit, seen as problematic over the Taliban’s policies banning almost half of its population of girls and women from schools, colleges, and workplaces on top of curtailing their basic human rights, will grant legitimacy to the group’s senior leader.

India has gradually ramped up its cautious yet increasingly diplomatic approach in engaging with the Taliban by meeting with the group’s senior officials in Qatar and also in Kabul.

In January this year India’s foreign secretary Vikram Misri met with Muttaqi and discussed diplomatic relations, security concerns, and humanitarian aid with Afghanistan at its highest-level talks till then in Dubai.

The two sides discussed expanding bilateral ties, with an increased focus on India’s security concerns, boost in trade through the Chabahar Port in Iran, and Indian investments in several development projects inside Afghanistan, which remain a key concern for Delhi.

In May this year, India’s external affairs minister S Jaishankar held a telephonic conversation with Muttaqi where the Afghan leader condemned the terrorist attack in Kashmir’s Pahalgam.

The exchange marked the highest level of contact between New Delhi and Kabul after the exit of Nato forces from Afghanistan in August 2021, even though India has not granted any official recognition to the Taliban.

The two spoke again last week in the aftermath of deadly 6.0 magnitude earthquake in Afghanistan, which killed at least 2,200 people even as authorities warned that the actual death toll could be higher as more bodies in remote areas were recovered.