Chitra Gurnani Daga Receives ‘Entrepreneur of the Year – Travel’ at ET Entrepreneur Awards 2026

by Nadiya Chauhan

Chitra Gurnani Daga, CEO and Co-founder of Thrillophilia, has been recognised with ‘Entrepreneur of the Year – Travel’ at the Economic Times Entrepreneur Awards 2026, held in Mumbai.

The recognition marks an important milestone in Thrillophilia’s journey as one of India’s trusted multi-day travel companies, built over the years through operational discipline, customer trust, and consistent execution.

Under Chitra’s leadership, Thrillophilia has expanded across India and international markets, while also strengthening the systems needed to deliver complex travel packages at scale. Over the years, the company has built a model where technology supports planning, while execution remains deeply grounded in destination expertise and operational discipline.

The Award and What It Represents

The Economic Times Entrepreneur Awards are among India’s most respected recognitions for entrepreneurship, celebrating founders who have built businesses defined by scale, resilience, and long-term impact.

Presented at the third edition of the awards in Mumbai, the recognition highlights leadership in a category where growth depends not only on expansion, but on the ability to deliver consistently across complex operations.

For Thrillophilia, this reflects years of building systems that make multi-day travel dependable across destinations and trip formats.

Unlike single-service travel bookings, multi-day journeys require multiple elements to work together with precision. Accommodation, transfers, local experiences, and destination logistics must remain aligned throughout the trip to ensure a seamless traveller experience.

Powering Travel with Connected AI Systems

To strengthen this process, Thrillophilia has developed a set of AI systems internally to support every stage of a multi-day journey, right from the first enquiry to final execution. Each system solves a specific part of the travel process while working together as one connected layer.

  • AI Itinerary Builder: Creates personalised day-by-day travel plans based on traveller preferences while validating route feasibility, seasonality, timing, and availability before finalisation.
  • Thrillo Voice AI: Handles early traveller interactions by understanding requirements and routing enquiries to the right advisor with relevant context.
  • CallMind: Records and analyses traveller conversations to improve advisor performance and maintain consistency in service quality.
  • Trip Management System (TMS): Converts confirmed bookings into structured workflows by tracking vendors, timelines, and operational dependencies while identifying potential issues early.
  • Lead Intelligence Engine: Analyses enquiries and assigns them based on trip complexity, destination expertise, and traveller requirements.

Together, these systems help connect planning, coordination, and on-ground execution, giving teams visibility across every stage of the travel lifecycle.

Building Thrillophilia at Scale

Since its inception, Thrillophilia has expanded across India and international destinations, including Europe, Southeast Asia, and East Africa.

Between FY2021 and FY2025, the company served more than 1 million travellers through curated domestic holidays, international tours, adventure travel, and personalised itineraries.

Thrillophilia currently operates at INR 500 crore+ revenue with EBITDA profitability, reflecting steady growth in a segment where operational quality remains critical.

Its model combines technology-led planning, supplier relationships, destination expertise, and execution capabilities built to support travel delivery across multiple markets.

Recognition in a Complex Travel Category

The travel industry has evolved rapidly in recent years as travellers increasingly choose longer, more experience-led journeys. Within this shift, multi-day tours continue to remain one of the most operationally demanding categories.

These journeys require continuous coordination across destinations, stakeholders, and timelines, making execution central to customer satisfaction.

The Entrepreneur of the Year – Travel recognition reflects the importance of building travel businesses that can manage this complexity while continuing to grow responsibly.

For Thrillophilia, the award marks another step in a longer journey focused on strengthening how multi-day travel is planned, coordinated, and delivered at scale.