GHE-Travel for Impact

Leaders In Impact Tourism

We are at the forefront of creating a life changing experience for our Travelers and making a life-long impact on the communities

Vision

Empower the remotest communities on the earth by leveraging tourism as a driving force for development.

Sustainability

Develop entrepreneurs in the local communities who can scale up their potential through tourism.

Movement Building

Create a movement of change-makers across the globe to build who travel and explore in a sustainable way.

Core Team

We are a group of passionate individuals, whose job is to create a fertile environment for collaborations between the participants and the local communities to enable future growth.

Paras Loomba – Founder

Paras is the founder of Global Himalayan Expedition (GHE) and has led several leadership expeditions to Himalayas to provide clean energy access to remote himalayan communities. An electrical engineer by profession, Paras merges technology and tourism with an approach to create local entrepreneurial models for remote areas advocating sustainable tourism solutions. Paras is a 2012 International Antarctic Expedition member and part of WTTC’s jury for Tomorrow for Tourism Awards.

Jaideep Bansal – CEO

Jaideep Bansal is an IIT Bombay Graduate and has been involved in leading several impact tourism expeditions to remote areas in Himalayas with GHE. Jaideep plays a key role in developing new partnerships to further the work of Impact Tourism and has been instrumental in bringing the narrative of Impact Tourism to the wider arena through articles and as speaker at various forums. He was been featured by WEF among the top leaders inspiring change in the world.

Vishaljeet Singh - Communications

Vishaljeet Singh is a Mechanical Engineer by background but used his time in college to exhibit his innate interest in photography and videography. He has been an active member in organizing TEDx Chandigarh and has also spent time volunteering with Make a Difference NGO. At GHE, Vishal is looking into content creation along with managing operations on the ground. He is passionate about travelling and has also won several awards for his film making skills.

Madhurjya Sarma - Project Manager

Madhurjya has a Masters in Tourism and Travel Management and has also worked as an SBI Youth for India fellow on rural livelihood and community-based tourism with women SHG groups in Uttarakhand. At GHE, he is leading the onground operations in NE India and plans to bring his experience of working with the rural communities to bring sustainable development to the remote corners of India, while improving the overall well being of the communities.

Simarpreet Kaur - Project Manager

Simar is a Tourism Professional, graduated from Delhi University has an experience of working with local communities and homestays in Himachal. Along with hospitality she tends to bring significant changes and a social balance where humans and nature exist in harmony. She is also a performing Artist and has done several acts on sensitized topics to raise awareness in the local communities along with performing mixed martial arts.

Mustafizur Rahman - Operations Manager

Mustafizur Rahman is a Post Graduate in Masters of Tourism and Travel Management from Tezpur University. He has an experience of working with The Oberoi Group of Hotels and volunteered with organizations such as Ramoji Film City, Kerala Tourism Development Cooperation, Centre for Wildlife Studies on Hospitality and Tourism. An avid traveller and swimmer, Mustafizur has also been associated with various social welfare activities since his college days.

Sumit Dhiman - Operations Manager

Sumit Dhiman studied mechanical engineering at Himachal Pradesh Technical University. Prior to joining GHE, he has had 5 years of experience in the corporate sector. In his spare time, he writes poetry in both Hindi and Urdu. He is very passionate about travel and loves to work on the intersection between sustainability and social impact.

Max Ahmed - Community Tourism

Max has a strong passion for developing tourism in remote communities. He has actively helped with various social and environmental projects through festivals, events, expeditions and news media. Max is a nature lover and promotes slow and active living. He believes in progressing through nature-friendly ways inherited from our ancestors. As a traveler and volunteer, he has been part of many initiatives that promote an eco-friendly lifestyle.

Dinesh Menaria - Associate Director, Partnerships

Dinesh Menaria is a Science graduate and an MBA from ITM Business School, Mumbai. With 14+ years of experience, he has engaged with corporates, national and international funding organisations, philanthropic foundations, CSRs, non-profits, impact consultancies, and governments. At GHE, Dinesh oversees partnerships, strategy, and operations across verticals. Beyond his professional pursuits, he is passionate about purposeful travel and has a deep love for mountains, which fuels his adventurous spirit and resilience. Dinesh's commitment to creating positive social impact, combined with his wanderlust, continues to drive him in shaping a better world.

Advisors

Robert Swan, OBE - Polar Explorer

Robert Swan, OBE is one of the world’s preeminent polar explorers and environmental leaders. By age 33, Swan became the first person to walk to both the North and South Poles, earning his place in history alongside the great explorers and adventurers. Swan’s experiences of the effects of global warming at both Poles only helped to shape and focus his lifetime goal: working towards the preservation of Antarctica as the last great wilderness on earth.

Fiona Jeffery, OBE - African Travel & Tourism Association (ATTA), Chair

Born in Scotland and a graduate of Edinburgh University Fiona Jeffery has had a long and accomplished career working in the travel industry responsible for World Travel Market from 1986-2013 ultimately as Chairman. She launched a responsible tourism drive across the industry globally now World Responsible Tourism Day at WTM. In 1998, Fiona also founded and is Chair of the international water aid charity,Just a Drop. She sits on UNWTO World Committee for Tourism Ethics and was awarded an OBE in 2012 by Her Majesty the Queen for services to travel and tourism.

Dr. Martin Barth - CEO, World Tourism Forum Lucerne

Prof Martin Barth, an Alumni of the prestigious St. Gallen University in Switzerland is the CEO of World Tourism Forum Lucerne (WTFL). WTFL is a leading interactive platform where CEOs, Ministers, Academia, Finance, Start-Ups, Next Generation and Young Talents become a strong community addressing the future challenges of the travel, tourism and hospitality industry and shape a more sustainable future. He is also a professor at the Institute of Tourism, Lucerne where he teaches in strategic management, service marketing and hotel management.

Kumi Kato - Professor, Faculty of Tourism/Graduate School of Tourism, Wakayama University, Japan

Dr. Kumi Kato is professor at the Faculty of Tourism, Graduate School of Tourism at Wakayama University, Japan. She is also an Honorary Associate Professor at the University of Queensland, Australia. Her research area includes sustainability and tourism, community resilience and traditional knowledge through Eco humanities perspectives, and ‘slow tourism development’ in relation to pilgrimage routes and walking-based tourism.

Col YP Loomba - Ex-Army Officer

Col. Loomba is a veteran Indian Army Officer and has 35 years of experience in mountain logistics. He has traveled to every remote corner of India and has held various commands positions during his tenure. From commanding a unit of Black Cat Commandos of the Elite National Security Guards (NSG), to leading troops in the high altitudes of the Himalayas, the Colonel has seen adventure in true sense. He continues to maintain his passion for travel and adventure.