In a landmark move, travel industry veteran Naveen Kundu has acquired a majority stake in Dubai-based VOYAGE 1, strategically integrating the company with his destination marketing platform, Tourism Futures.AI
The transaction marks a new phase for VOYAGE 1, bringing the company’s destination management operations together with Tourism Futures.AI’s travel technology platform. Under the new ownership structure, Naveen Kundu will lead the integrated business as Chairman of the Board and CEO, alongside the founding team.
Founded by Vishal Dhansinghani and co-founded by Lavin Dhansinghani and Amit Kumar, VOYAGE 1 operates as a Destination Management Company through wholly owned destination companies across several leisure and business travel markets. The company currently works with travel agents and partners across multiple international destinations through its ownership-led operating model.
VOYAGE 1 has destination operations in the UAE, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Georgia, Vietnam, Japan, South Africa, Zambia, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda and Uganda. The UAE office in Dubai serves as the company’s corporate headquarters.
Following the integration, the company plans to expand into Switzerland, the Nordics, Thailand and the Americas.
The integration will combine VOYAGE 1’s destination infrastructure and local operating capabilities with Tourism Futures.AI’s destination marketing and AI-led customer acquisition platform. The company said the combined business will support travel agents with personalised recommendations, customer acquisition tools, operational efficiency and commercial opportunities.
Speaking on the integration, Naveen Kundu said, “The traditional architecture of destination management is ready for a paradigm shift. By integrating the operational network built by Lavin, Amit and Vishal with the intelligent automation of Tourism Futures.AI, we are creating the world’s first truly smart DMC network. VOYAGE 1 will not just move travellers; we will use data-driven intelligence to anticipate market demand, enable our B2B distribution partners to scale customer acquisition, and deliver asset-backed travel experiences across continents.”
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