An intimate interaction with Sunu Mathew, Chief Executive Officer of C WORLD HOLIDAYS INDIA PVT LTD, on the occasion of International Women’s Day 2026.
“Sunu Mathew, CEO of C World Holidays, one of the first women cricket player -turned-travel professionals in the country, who brought her competitive spirit from the cricket field to the travel industry in the early 1990s, building three decades of pioneering outbound travel, breaking barriers, and quietly revolutionising Indian tourism.”
There is a photograph that Sunu Mathew does not show many people. It is not a trophy shot or a conference headshot – it is a memory, vivid and personal: a young woman who once dreamed of flying aircraft, who had that dream interrupted by a paragliding accident, and who chose – with remarkable clarity – to redirect her passion skyward in a different way. Not by piloting planes, but by sending people into the world.
That young woman became one of India’s most respected outbound travel entrepreneurs. Today, as Chief Executive Officer of C World Holidays, headquartered in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, Sunu Mathew is widely acknowledged as a first-generation woman pioneer in India’s outbound travel industry – a sector she entered in 2003, when it was still largely defined by men, and largely defined by tours rather than transformation.
On International Women’s Day 2026, Tourism India sat down with Sunu Mathew for a wide-ranging conversation about her remarkable journey, the evolution of Indian travel culture, and what the theme ‘Give to Gain’ means to someone who has spent three decades doing exactly that.
The Dream That Changed Direction
Sunu Mathew’s origin story is one of reinvention rather than loss. “My story actually began with a dream to fly,” she says simply. “As a young woman, I aspired to become a pilot. Aviation fascinated me, and I imagined a future in the skies. However, a paragliding accident grounded that dream physically. Yet, while that moment altered my path, it did not diminish my spirit. Instead, it helped me rediscover my purpose.”
Her early career took her through East West Airlines – India’s first private airline – where she gained foundational insight into aviation and travel, followed by formative years at SITA Travels, where she began to understand the deeper grammar of tourism. “It was there that I discovered that travel is not simply about tickets and itineraries – it is about stories, dreams and human connections,” she recalls.
In 2003, armed with that conviction and more than a decade of industry experience, she founded C World Holidays. The timing was deliberate, the context challenging. Outbound travel from India was still evolving. The sector was dominated by men. “Entering that space as a woman entrepreneur required courage, resilience and a strong belief in my vision,” she says – characteristically understating what was, by any measure, a pioneering act.
Building a Different Kind of Travel Company
From its earliest days, C World Holidays was designed to be different. Sunu was not interested in replicating the standard outbound model of group tours and packaged itineraries. Her vision was more ambitious: to curate meaningful global experiences for Indian travellers at a time when the market was not yet ready to fully articulate that demand – but she believed it soon would be.
She was right. Over the past two decades, C World Holidays has built a reputation across three highly specialised and emotionally resonant segments: luxury experiential journeys, destination weddings, and spiritual pilgrimages. Each of these requires not just logistical expertise, but a quality rarer and harder to teach – genuine empathy with the traveller’s deepest aspirations.
“For destination weddings, the goal is to create a celebration that reflects the couple’s personality, traditions and dreams,” she explains. “Every detail – from venue selection to guest experiences – must feel personal and meaningful. Spiritual pilgrimages are deeply transformative journeys. They require sensitivity and understanding of the traveller’s emotional and cultural expectations.” And for experiential travel, she adds, “authenticity is the key. The traveller must feel connected to the destination in a genuine way.”
The company’s global footprint and the depth of its international partnerships are a testament to the standards Sunu has maintained over three decades – recognised most recently by a string of prestigious industry honours, including the Luxury Travel Agency of the Year 2024 at the Corporate LiveWire Global Awards, and the Best Full-Service Luxury Travel Company 2024 from LUXlife Magazine.
How Indian Travellers Have Transformed
Few observers of India’s outbound travel market have had a front-row seat to its evolution quite like Sunu Mathew. She has watched the Indian traveller change, across two decades, from sightseer to experience-seeker.
“Two decades ago, most outbound travellers were sightseers. Their travel goals were often about visiting famous landmarks and checking destinations off a list. Today’s Indian traveller is very different. They are experience seekers,” she says. “They seek authentic cultural encounters, immersive culinary experiences, heritage explorations and wellness journeys. Whether it is a boutique retreat in the Italian countryside or a deeply spiritual pilgrimage, they want travel to create lasting memories and emotional connections.”
This is not merely a change in preferences, she argues – it is a change in identity. The modern Indian traveller is globally informed, culturally curious, and increasingly resistant to the generic. They value personalisation. They expect their travel partner to truly understand them. And they are, Sunu notes with evident satisfaction, willing to invest in experiences that reflect who they are.
Leadership Beyond the Boardroom
Sunu Mathew’s professional identity extends far beyond C World Holidays. In a reflection of the breadth of her leadership philosophy, she serves as Chairperson of the Women’s Cricket Committee of the Kerala Cricket Association (KCA) – a role that has given her a ringside view of another kind of talent development: that of young women athletes rising to national recognition.
“Watching young players such as Asha Sobhana, Minnu Mani and Sajeevan Sajana rise to national recognition has been inspiring,” she says. “Leadership in sports and tourism share the same essence – recognising talent and nurturing it until it shines globally.”
She has also spoken on the international stage, addressing the 14th World Leaders Summit at Oxford University, where she spoke about tourism as a tool for cultural exchange and peace-building. That experience, she says, deepened her conviction that tourism is far more than an industry – it is a bridge connecting people, cultures and perspectives.
Give to Gain: A Life’s Philosophy
This year’s International Women’s Day theme – ‘Give to Gain’ – is one Sunu Mathew has been quietly living for thirty years. “To me, ‘Give to Gain’ is the essence of leadership,” she says. “Entrepreneurship is not just about personal success – it is about creating opportunities for others. When we invest time in mentoring someone, supporting a colleague or encouraging a young entrepreneur, we are strengthening the entire ecosystem. Giving knowledge, trust and opportunity creates a ripple effect where many more people benefit.”
The numbers give that philosophy concrete form. More than twenty professionals who began their careers with C World Holidays have gone on to launch their own businesses in travel and wedding logistics. “Seeing them succeed is one of the most rewarding aspects of my career,” she says.
Through her involvement with organisations such as Ability Aids International, she has also extended that mentorship beyond the walls of her own company – working to empower women to pursue careers in tourism, event management and entrepreneurship from a wider range of backgrounds.
Women in Travel: The Progress and the Promise
Sunu is measured but optimistic about the changing role of women in travel leadership. “The change has been encouraging,” she says. “More women today are entering leadership roles across tourism, hospitality and aviation. Women bring strong emotional intelligence, creativity and relationship-building skills – qualities that are invaluable in an industry centred around people and experiences. In many ways, women are moving from being backroom contributors to boardroom leaders.”
In Kerala, she notes, that shift is particularly visible – women leading not only in tourism entrepreneurship but also in sports administration and community initiatives. The ecosystem is changing. But the work, she insists, is not complete. Women entrepreneurs in tourism still require structured support: access to funding, mentorship networks, business skills development, and the visibility that comes from being taken seriously by industry gatekeepers.
“Travel companies must move towards specialisation and innovation,” she argues, looking at the industry at large. “Rather than offering generic packages, they should design experiences that reflect the evolving interests of travellers. Ultimately, successful travel companies must be global in standards but local in soul – combining technology with the warmth of Indian hospitality.”
A Message to the Next Generation
When asked what she would say to young women considering a career in travel, Sunu Mathew speaks from a place of hard-won wisdom and genuine warmth. “I would tell them never to allow a setback to define their journey,” she says. “Sometimes the dreams we begin with may change direction, but that does not mean they end. My own journey – from dreaming of becoming a pilot to building a global travel company – taught me that resilience can open new horizons.”
“If you have the passion to serve people, the courage to lead and the willingness to learn, the world is full of possibilities.”
And then, with the quiet authority of someone who has lived what she preaches: “When we uplift others, we rise together.”
