Founded in Amsterdam, Booking.com is a leading digital travel companies offering travellers a range of transport options and places to stay - from homes to hotels. A travel marketplace for both established brands and entrepreneurs, the company enables properties globally to list on its site.
Santosh Kumar was earlier managing director of the Indian subcontinent at HRS Group, a SaaS-based corporate travel accommodation technology provider. He has also worked at American Express Global Business Travel and has consulting experience with Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA), Deloitte, Collabera and Diamond Management and Technology Consultants in USA and India.
In a statement, Nuno Guerreiro, regional director for South Asia Pacific & Chains, said: “Kumar joins us as an entrepreneurial and strategic leader with an in-depth understanding of the travel and technology industry. With over 15 years of experience in managing multicultural teams, he will spearhead the region with a strong focus on supporting our partners in rebuilding their businesses, while ensuring the company continues to deliver the best value to our customers."
In India, Booking.com competes with MakeMyTrip and Yatra, among others.
On his new role, Kumar said he was “excited" to lead the business in this region. “Our mission is to make it easy for everyone to experience the world and with us slowly embracing the new era of travel, I am looking forward to working closely with our accommodation partners to ensure that we offer travellers the most convenient, seamless and unforgettable experiences in travel," he said in a statement.
The travel market in India is projected to reach $125 billion by FY27 from an estimated $75 billion in FY20. India’s tourism industry in 2020 accounted for 31.8 million jobs, which is likely to grow to 53 million jobs by 2029. International tourist arrivals are expected to touch 30.5 billion by 2028, according to data from a report by industry chamber FICCI.
