THE SHIFT BY LUJAVIA

Dear Partners,

The world does not wait for those who are still catching up.

As we live in a rapidly evolving environment, we all realize and agree on how important it is to keep pace with it. The advancements in technology, the mindset shifts, the conscious and mindful ways of approaching things, and the overwhelming influx of information that constantly pushes us to filter out the inconsequential — all of it is reshaping the world as we know it. And the way travel is approached is no exception. It too is in a constant state of flux. The old approaches that once led to "better travel decisions" are now finding themselves on shaky ground.

Keeping our minds open to all possible scenarios and perspectives is no longer a choice. It is a necessity. And that is precisely the intention behind The Shift — to understand and carry forward the behavioural patterns, mindset evolutions, and emerging realities as they directly relate to how travel is imagined, planned, and experienced by the next generation.

The next-gen traveller we are talking about is not a generalization. This is not about a generation that is simply travelling more or booking differently. We are talking about a very specific, very consequential individual — the young, wealthy Indian who is either already inheriting or standing at the cusp of inheriting significant capital. For whom international luxury travel is not an aspiration. It is simply a given.

This individual is a maverick. Willing to take risks. Willing to step away from the conventional, practical, safe approaches of the past. Ambitious in a way that the previous generations, for all their achievements, would rarely have allowed themselves to be — not out of limitation of capability, but out of limitation of imagination. The mental boundaries that were once constructed are now expanding, and this generation is the one doing the expanding. The most telling proof of that lies in the many ideas that were once quietly laughed at, which are now taking very real, very tangible shape in the world.

And yet — the travel industry is still largely built for their parents.

The itinerary that reads like a 2010 brochure. The destination sold on prestige rather than depth. The representation that speaks to a traveller who no longer exists in the same form. That is the gap. And it is widening every day.

This is not to discredit what came before. It is simply to acknowledge what is arriving next — and to be honest about whether the industry is ready for it.

The Shift exists to spread that awareness. Because the future belongs to those businesses that are willing to acknowledge the reality that is forming right now, and operate accordingly.

Now, consider what the ground actually looks like.

Twenty percent of Indian millionaires are now under 40. The ultra-high-net-worth population in India is projected to grow by 50% before 2028. Somewhere between $1.5 to $2.5 trillion is expected to transfer from older generations to Millennials and Gen Z in India over the next 15 years alone. And travel — not luxury goods, not dining, not wellness — has become the single largest lifestyle expense for this affluent cohort, according to the Mercedes-Benz Hurun India Wealth Report 2025. This is not a trend. This is a structural shift in how wealth is held, how it is expressed, and what it is spent on.

Here is perhaps the sharpest signal of all: 85% of next-gen millionaires plan to change their parents' wealth management firms within the next one to two years. If they will not inherit their parents' financial advisor, they are certainly not inheriting their parents' travel agent — or their parents' idea of what a great trip looks like.

The businesses that will stand deepest in this market will be the ones who understood this moment before it became obvious. Who chose to move with curiosity rather than wait with comfort. Who realized that the product being sold is no longer a destination — it is a story this traveller gets to tell.

This is a Seismic Shift.

And it has already begun.

Warm regards,

Bhrigu Bakshi
Founder, Lujavia