Meet Chirag Munjani: From corporate job to rural tourism, how Gujarat man built experiential travel company
Chirag Munjani, the owner of a startup called 'Rural Pleasure Journeys', continues to set the standard for responsible tourism. He has redefined vacations, breaking from an ideal one that may involve posh hotels, sumptuous meals and luxury feels.
Chirag Munjani’s Rural Pleasure Journeys focuses on rural and experiential tourism and also works directly with local artisans.
In January 2017, he received the India Responsible Tourism Award for being "Best in Cultural Immersion" at the India Responsible Tourism Summit.
Born and based in Vadodara, Chirag Munjani studied mechanical engineering at Gujarat University and earned an MBA from Symbiosis Institute of Business Management in Pune in 2004.
Between 2002 and 2005, he lived in Pune, where he began his corporate career in June 2004 as a management trainee with Bajaj Auto. According to his LinkedIn profile, he left his job as a regional manager at Bajaj Auto and Bajaj Auto Finance in 2011.
After seven and a half years in the corporate sector, Munjani decided to pursue an idea that had developed during his work in rural areas, the Indian Express reported.
Munjani started Rural Pleasure Journeys in 2012. It is a Vadodara-based proprietorship specialising in rural and experiential tourism.
“While working with Bajaj, I worked on different business models. I was doing very well in sales in rural areas and used to go to places where no one went," he said.
"My inclination and comfort in rural areas were strong. Nobody else was promoting rural tourism at that time,” he was quoted by the Indian Express as saying.
For Munjani, the model has two objectives: giving tourists a rooted experience and ensuring that tourism supports. He said he wanted to focus on experiences rather than conventional hotel stays and sightseeing.
“I wanted to focus more on people learning about the heritage and ecology of a destination and making you feel the destination instead of just seeing what is there,” he said.
Visitors who plan tours with Munjani's Rural Pleasure Journeys can expected experiencing communities and landscapes that are often overlooked by mainstream tourism.
In the Little Rann of Kutch, for instance, tourists can learn about salt production and participate in the process. “We eat salt every day but don’t know where it is made and how to make it,” he was quoted as saying.
The company also works directly with local artisans. In Nirona village, Kutch, travellers meet different communities, including weavers, painters and metal workers, who explain their crafts. Local coordinators assist travellers with communication and translation, the report added.
It also created experiences linked to conservation. Around Gir National Park, where lions sometimes fall into open wells around farmland while chasing prey, tourists can participate in efforts to make protective grills for the wells, including fabrication work.
In Dang, one of Gujarat’s poorest districts, Munjani faced an uphill task in convincing tribal communities to invite outsiders. Besides, forest regulations restrict commercial activity in the region, limiting employment opportunities for local communities.
“They were not motivated to invite outsiders at the start. But they really enjoyed it after a few groups came. There is pure organic living there, so when someone comes from the city and praises how they live, the locals also get motivated,” he said.
Another big challenge, Munjani said was convincing travellers to choose this form of tourism. Unlike mass tourism, rural tourism cannot easily generate the same volumes. “Through efforts, word of mouth, and organic growth,” he said, the company gradually built its customer base.
According to the Indian Express, Rural Pleasure Journeys today offers fixed and customised itineraries across 16-17 destinations.
With the core belief that the locals are the heart of any destination, Rural Pleasure facilitates guided tours in Little Rann of Kutch, Great Rann of Kutch, Savarkundla, Gir, Chhota Udaipur and Ranthambore, according to Outlook.
It expanded into Madhya Pradesh in 2023 and Rajasthan in 2024, while continuing its work across Gujarat.
The company reportedly conducts around 70-80 tours a year, with local communities involved at each destination.
Munjani said a significant share of travellers come from metropolitan cities, along with international visitors. He believes urban families, particularly children, are increasingly looking for experiences that allow them to understand how people live and work outside cities.
“Many travellers come for the experience based on word of mouth,” he said.
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