“I would love for travel to be a big part of my son’s life”, says Sania Mirza as she opens up to Booking.com about the positive impact of travel on her life 

As India’s Explorer for the Booking.com Explorers campaign, Sania takes to Instagram to share her most cherished travel experiences. Watch the video here: link 

India, September 2021: Booking.com, the world’s leading digital travel brand, recently announced Grand Slam Champion Sania Mirza as its India Explorer, as a part of the Booking Explorers campaign that celebrates the spirit of travel through the lens of renowned adventures, leaders, and trailblazers across the Asia Pacific. Expressing her delight on partnering with Booking.com for the campaign, Sania Mirza took to Instagram to take her fans through her travel journey, right from the age of 8 when she first traveled to a different city for a tennis tournament, to now when her son keeps her company as she travels the world representing India. 

Keeping the spirit of travel alive, Sania expressed her love for travel, how it has shaped her as a person and how the pandemic made her realize that she is guilty of taking travel for granted. “There are many things that are different because of the pandemic and I really hope it comes back to ‘I want to fly somewhere. If I have a visa I can go,’” says Sania, sharing her thoughts on the impact the pandemic has had on travel.

Hailing from Hyderabad, Sania is well-traveled, both domestically and internationally. Talking about how she has explored India, she added, “I’ve been to all the bigger cities but it would be really nice to discover the interiors of India a little bit more because the culture is so different,” and when travel comes back in full swing, she would like to tick off Bora Bora in French Polynesia from her bucket list.

Commenting on the campaign and her association with Booking.com, Sania Mirza said, “I am thrilled to come on board as an explorer for Booking.com’s Explorers campaign, through which I got to reminisce my travel memories. Travel has shaped me into the person that I am and I would love for travel to be a big part of my son’s life as well; so he understands all the cultures of India and the wider world. When I stop playing tennis, I would like to take the time to travel as a tourist and visit the same places that I've been to for tournaments. It would be great to savor and enjoy it differently.”

Ritu Mehrotra, Regional Manager, South Asia at Booking.com said, “Sania’s travel story is very inspirational and it's heartening to witness the transformational role travel has played, right from the formative years of her life to today, as she continues to make India proud. The time spent at home over the past one and a half years has made us realize our love for travel has never waned. With travel gradually resuming, we hope that Sania’s story will encourage travelers to broaden their horizons on how we can still experience our world responsibly when it’s safe to do so.” 

The Booking Explorers 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. Upcoming explorers and their stories will include Korean alternative pop band, Leenalchi, who connect people through the power of their music, traveling the world to find inspiration for new songs, and interacting with global fans. Rising style icon and global fashion model, Chau Bui, call Vietnam home but has traveled 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 horizons through travel and used this new perspective to create art that transports us to faraway lands.

About Booking.com: 

Part of Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: BKNG), Booking.com’s mission is to make it easier for everyone to experience the world whenever it’s safe to do so again. By investing in the technology that helps take the friction out of travel, Booking.com seamlessly connects millions of travelers with memorable experiences, a range of transportation options, and incredible places to stay - from homes to hotels and much more. As one of the world’s largest travel marketplaces for both established brands and entrepreneurs of all sizes, Booking.com enables properties all over the world to reach a global audience and grow their businesses. Booking.com is available in 44 languages and offers more than 28.4 million total reported accommodation listings, including more than 6.6 million listings of homes, apartments, and other unique places to stay. No matter where you want to go or what you want to do, Booking.com makes it easy and backs it all up with 24/7 customer support.