COIMBATORE, TAMIL NADU: TheTourist360, a Tamil Nadu–based travel company, is expanding its presence in the experiential tourism segment by collaborating with celebrities, influencers, and digital creators to host curated international group trips across popular global destinations.
The company, which focuses on organized international travel experiences, has been actively building a creator-led travel ecosystem by partnering with personalities from the entertainment, digital media, and travel vlogging communities. Through these collaborations, TheTourist360 has been hosting group tours that combine tourism with influencer engagement, creating a new format of travel experiences that appeals particularly to young travellers and social media audiences.
One of the most notable collaborations for the company has been with actress and influencer Anitha Sampath. In partnership with TheTourist360, she hosted three celebrity-led group trips to the Maldives over the past few years. The first group tour was conducted in 2024 with around 30 travelers. Following the positive response, a second trip was organized in 2025 with a similar group size. Building on the growing demand for influencer-led travel experiences, the third edition in 2026 expanded to accommodate 40 travelers, making it the largest group in the series.
In total, nearly 100 travelers have participated in these Maldives experiences organized through the collaboration, reflecting the increasing popularity of curated group travel formats that allow travellers to explore destinations alongside public figures and content creators.
Beyond this collaboration, TheTourist360 has hosted travel experiences for several personalities across the entertainment and sports industries. Actress and influencer Samyuktha Shan has been part of travel experiences hosted by the company, while former Indian cricketer Anirudha Srikanth also travelled through TheTourist360 as part of a honeymoon trip to the Maldives.
The company has also worked with many popular influencers and digital creators such as Sathish Deepa along with well-known vloggers including actress Dharsha Gupta, Chennai Vlogger, Transit Bites, Village Database, Dan JR Vlogs, Budget Food and Travel, and Travel with Akshaay.TheTourist360 has also partnered with the USA-based Tamil media platform Oh My Thagaval and Malaysian Tamil actress Aishwarya as part of its growing collaborations across global Tamil-speaking audiences.
TheTourist360’s creator network extends beyond Tamil Nadu and includes influencers from across South India. In the Telugu travel community, the company organized travel experiences for creators such as Uma Telugu Traveller in Bali and Raju Kannabona for a Maldives trip. Other collaborations include creators associated with the American Dollar YouTube channel and Voice of Vasapitta Malaysia Trip, featuring creator Madhuri.
Travel creators from Kerala have also participated in curated tours organized by the company. Among them are Divin Prabhakaran and Yaseen Vlogs, who have collaborated with TheTourist360 for international travel experiences.
In Karnataka, travel influencers including Flying Passport, Backpack with M, DhanRaj Archer Vlogs, and digital creator Aishwarya Karkera have also been part of the company’s curated travel programs.
While influencer collaborations have become a key element of its growth strategy, the company’s journey is closely tied to the entrepreneurial story of its founder, Kalaiarasan, popularly known as Kalai Maldives.
Kalaiarasan was born on December 14, 1996, and grew up in the small town of Vellakovil in Tamil Nadu. He comes from a middle-class family that valued hard work and perseverance. His father, Loganathan Palaniappan, has been involved in the buying and selling of second-hand cars and has also worked as a driver to support the family’s income. His mother, Sagunthala Natarajan, is a homemaker who has dedicated herself to managing the household and supporting the family.
Growing up in this modest environment instilled in Kalaiarasan a strong sense of financial responsibility, resilience, and determination—values that would later shape his entrepreneurial journey.
Before starting his own venture, Kalairasan worked in the Maldives tourism sector as an airport representative at Velana International Airport. His work involved coordinating international tourist arrivals, airport transfers, and travel logistics, giving him practical exposure to global tourism operations.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, when the tourism sector faced severe disruptions, Kalairasan identified an emerging need for quarantine transit travel to the Maldives for international travelers heading to countries such as the UAE and Canada. Using his operational knowledge and industry contacts, he began arranging quarantine stay packages that included accommodation, airport transfers, and travel coordination. What started as assistance for a few travelers gradually evolved into a structured travel service.
Following the gradual reopening of international tourism, this initiative expanded into a full-scale travel company. TheTourist360 began offering curated Maldives holiday packages and honeymoon experiences for Indian travelers. Over time, the company expanded its travel offerings to several international destinations including Malaysia, Singapore, Dubai, Thailand, Vietnam, Bali, Mauritius, and Sri Lanka, along with select European travel itineraries.
Within India, the company has also introduced curated travel packages to destinations such as the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, Meghalaya, Sikkim, Manali, and Kashmir. Today, TheTourist360 operates with a team of more than 20 professionals and serves travelers across India through customized international and domestic travel experiences.
The company’s growth and industry presence have also received recognition in the tourism sector. Kalaiarasan was honored with the Tourism Business Icon 2025 Award at the Indian Awards for his contribution to the travel industry. TheTourist360 was also recognized with the Most Trusted Travel Company of South India 2025 Award.
As influencer-driven tourism continues to gain momentum, TheTourist360’s model of combining curated travel experiences with digital creator collaborations reflects a broader shift in how travel companies are engaging with younger audiences and online communities.
With its expanding network of creators, celebrities, and travel enthusiasts across multiple regions, TheTourist360 continues to position itself within the evolving experiential travel landscape by connecting travelers with digital personalities while exploring destinations around the world.
