A niche travel operator based in the US has announced new vegetarian trips to India and Thailand.
VegVoyages, a travel company that specialises in vegan and vegetarian travel, has announced veggie-centric tours in Thailand and has added a 15-day volunteer vacation at an animal sanctuary in India. Founded by Zac Lovas, Jason Lovas and RK Singhji VegVoyages is celebrating its fifth anniversary.
Indian outbound travellers’ preference for vegetarian food is well known amongst national tourism boards. “ I would say about up to 50% to 60% travellers from India are vegetarian,” said country manager Paramjit Bawa of Visit’s Britain India.
Large tour companies from India are aware of this need and ensure that their vegetarian guests are not short of options. AVP sales, India and South Asia, Naresh Rawal of Star Cruises told TGI: “Our ships have adapted to the very large vegetarian community that likes to travel from India. In West India, Gujarat is a key supporter for us. In the East, in Kolkata there is a huge Marwari community. And you cannot disregard the vegetarians in South India. When you book a passage you can choose from Indian vegetarian meals five times a day from three of our restaurants. Non vegetarian Indian meals are available on payment.”
But this is the first time that an inbound operator has focussed on this aspect of India. This year VegVoyages will start its ‘Camels and Canines and Cows…Oh My!’ adventure where guests will have a chance to experience the culture and heritage of India while helping at a grassroots animal sanctuary, combining vegetarian tours with volunteer packages.
“We try not to impose ourselves on a community but rather try to be a part of it,” Singhji said. Involvement with local communities takes place in the form of providing support for community development, environmental preservation and animal welfare projects, as well as support for local village schools, clinics and eco-friendly businesses.
