ByIANSlife

September 9, 2021 (IANSlife) With border restrictions easing and vaccination programmes slowly gaining momentum, Booking.com launches the Booking Explorers campaign to celebrate the spirit of travel through the lens of renowned adventures, leaders and trailblazers across Asia Pacific.

As part of this campaign, the travel platform has announced Grand Slam Champion Sania Mirza as its India Explorer. Sania along with other leading personalities from Asia Pacific will be sharing their most treasured travel memories to re-ignite travel inspiration and remind us of the transformational impact travel has on our lives, as we dream of our own return to travel. 

Commenting on the campaign and her association with Booking.com, Sania Mirza said “I am thrilled to come onboard as an explorer for Booking.com’s Explorers campaign, through which I got to reminisce my travel memories. My love for travel only came into existence because of my love for tennis. Travel has played a fundamental role in my life and my career since my childhood and will continue to do so in the years to come. While the way we travel now has definitely changed, the urge to explore the world continues to exist even more today.” 

This campaign is built on the sentiment where travel remains fundamental to people’s lives, and to explore and experience our world is an innate human need. It deep dives into Sania’s storied career which took her to new heights, giving her the opportunity to travel across the world and  pursue a successful career in tennis. Previously ranked as double's world number 1, winning six Grand Slam titles, Sania’s life is filled with activity, adventure and competition. When the pandemic hit, borders closed and the world came to a halt, Sania took this time to rediscover India and explore the incredible destinations closer to home. It was during this time she explored her passion for adventure, travelling with her son and reimagining the world through his eyes.  
 

The campaign also showcases stories of Amazing Race Australia winners, Tim and Rod, who have travelled the world proudly representing the freedom to love and who advocate making travel more inclusive for the LGBTQ+ community. Korean alternative pop band, Leenalchi, connected people through the power of their music, travelling the world to find inspiration for new songs and interacting with global fans. Rising style icon and global fashion model, Chau Bui, calls Vietnam home but has travelled from Seoul to Paris, New York and Milan to find inspiration for her unique style. In Paris, famed Japanese illustrator Kaori Watanabe expanded her mental comfort zones through travel and used this new perspective to create art that transports us to faraway lands. 
 

The Explorers campaign is a celebration of their mindset & spirit of travel - embodying a relentless desire to experience and explore, in spite of the challenges brought about by the pandemic. Whether it’s their journey, their stories or the impact travel has made on them - be it hard-earned wisdom, hilarious insights or an empowering message of transformation and hope - these powerful experiences shed light on why travel has continued to remain so fundamental to our identities, and also what a return to travel could mean to us personally. 

“As we begin thinking about a return to travel, this campaign is a heartfelt reminder of its transformational impact and celebrates the spirit of travel through the voices of our Explorers,” said Ritu Mehrotra, Regional Manager, South Asia at Booking.com. “Like many of us, they were forced to look inwards during this time and found new inspiration in travel where it was possible, while advocating for their greatest passions from home. With travel slowly resuming, it is my hope that these stories will bring a message of hope to our travellers; and continue to broaden our horizons on how we can still experience our world responsibly, when it’s safe to do so.”