Imagicaaworld Entertainment has quickly evolved beyond a traditional theme park into a multifaceted tourism conglomerate. Its CEO Dhimant Bakshi unpacks the group’s expansion strategy—from the thrilling waters of Wet’nJoy and Aqua Imagicaa to the spiritual storytelling of India’s first devotional theme park, Sai Teerth in Shirdi. But the vision doesn’t stop at attractions; Bakshi details how the company is aggressively courting the corporate MICE segment (hosting over 500 companies annually) and deepening its reliance on travel agents to transform Imagicaa into a non-negotiable stop on every Maharashtra itinerary.
Dhimant Bakshi, CEO, Imagicaaworld Entertainment, says, “Alongside Imagicaa, Wet’nJoy and Aqua Imagicaa are strengthening leisure tourism through world class water-based experiences, while Sai Teerth in Shirdi, the first and the only devotional theme park in India, is bringing together faith, culture and immersive storytelling. Together, these destinations are driving experiential and devotional tourism.”
The MICE segment is also an important focus area for him. “Beyond leisure, we are seeing growing interest from corporates looking for experiential venues for offsites, team-building activities, and employee engagement programmes. Every year, we host over 500 corporate companies, with 7–10 large-scale corporate events annually. We’ve had the opportunity to work with large conglomerates and SME’s through incentive programmes. We continue to strengthen our MICE offerings through hospitality, customised experiences, and destination-led corporate engagements,” Bakshi adds.
Travel agents are a key strategic distribution channel for Imagicaa. He adds, “Today, the travel trade contributes around 5% of our overall annual footfall, and we see significant potential for this segment to grow further. Imagicaa is positioned as a full-day leisure destination within Mumbai and Maharashtra itineraries. By collaborating with travel agents and tour operators, Imagicaa can be integrated into: Mumbai, Lonavala, and Pune, Imagicaa naturally complements regional leisure itineraries and can easily be integrated into Mumbai city tours, Maharashtra holiday circuits, and weekend getaway packages. Our travel partner network also plays an important role in helping us reach new leisure audiences and strengthening our presence in organised tour itineraries.”
The company engages the travel trade through regular partner interactions, promotional campaigns, familiarisation visits, destination showcases, strategic collaborations, and participation in key travel and tourism events. It recently hosted 250 travel agents in collaboration with Novotel Imagicaa. “We also organised a dedicated corporate familiarisation trip, engaging 13 organisations and around 75 delegates, which welcomed nearly 100 HR professionals from Mumbai and Pune. We regularly participate in leading industry platforms such as the Kala Ghoda Festival with Maharashtra Tourism and work closely with leading MICE partners enabling us to further strengthen our presence across the corporate and travel ecosystem,” Bakshi adds.
With over 17 years of experience in the B2B travel and hospitality sector, she brings deep insight into travel trade dynamics, industry challenges and market developments. She holds an MA in English Literature and a Diploma in Journalism from the Xavier Institute of Communications, Mumbai, which underpin her strong editorial expertise. An avid nature enthusiast, she prefers outdoor and adventure-led travel, including hiking and trekking.