Top 5 Travel and People-Oriented Businesses to Start with ₹1 Lakh

For people who enjoy travelling, meeting new people and organising memorable experiences, the travel and hospitality sector offers several low-investment business opportunities. These ventures can be started without owning vehicles, hotels or large commercial spaces.

1. Heritage and Food Tour Guide

Create specialised walking tours covering Chennai’s heritage areas, traditional markets, historic buildings and famous food streets.

Popular options may include:

- Heritage walks in Mylapore

- Architectural tours in George Town

- Street-food trails in Sowcarpet

- Cultural and temple tours

The tours can be promoted to domestic and international travellers through travel platforms, social media and a dedicated booking website.

Estimated setup cost: ₹80,000

This may include historical research, guide training, website development and digital advertising.

2. Solo Travel and Weekend Trip Coordinator

Organise curated weekend trips for solo travellers, working professionals, senior citizens or small community groups.

Destinations may include Mahabalipuram, Puducherry, Yelagiri, Kodaikanal and other nearby tourist locations.

Instead of purchasing vehicles or accommodation, the organiser can partner with transport operators, resorts and homestays. Customers can pay in advance, allowing the trip to be managed with limited working capital.

Estimated setup cost: ₹90,000

This may cover safety equipment, first-aid supplies, vendor advances, marketing and community-building activities.

3. Homestay and Vacation Rental Manager

Partner with owners of vacant villas, beach houses, farmhouses and holiday homes who want to list their properties as short-term rentals.

The service may include:

- Creating and managing online listings

- Handling guest enquiries and bookings

- Coordinating check-ins and housekeeping

- Improving the property’s appearance

- Arranging professional photography

The manager can earn approximately 15% to 25% of the rental revenue, depending on the services provided and the agreement with the property owner.

Estimated setup cost: ₹75,000

This may include property visits, photography, smart locks, lighting and minor interior improvements.

4. Travel Vlogger and Local Content Creator

Create videos and social mededia content featuring hidden destinations, cafés, road-trip routes, festivals, resorts and homestays across Tamil Nadu.

Revenue may be generated through:

- Video-platform advertising

- Sponsored travel content

- Resort and hotel collaborations

- Affiliate bookings

- Tourism promotions

- Travel-product partnerships

Building a reliable audience takes time, but the business can eventually grow into a regional travel-media platform.

Estimated setup cost: ₹80,000

This may cover an action camera, microphones, a smartphone stabiliser, editing software and cloud storage.

5. Corporate Retreat and Team-Building Planner

Plan and coordinate corporate outings, employee retreats and team-building programmes for companies, particularly those located along Chennai’s OMR and other business corridors.

Services may include:

- Resort selection

- Travel and food coordination

- Team-building games

- Icebreaker activities

- Event hosting

- Complete itinerary management

Companies often outsource such programmes because their human-resources teams may not have the time to handle every operational detail.

Estimated setup cost: ₹80,000

This may include event materials, activity equipment, presentation documents and corporate marketing.

These businesses are suitable for people with strong communication, coordination, storytelling and relationship-building skills. Success will depend more on customer experience and reliable vendor partnerships than on heavy capital investment.

Before starting, entrepreneurs should verify the licences, tax obligations, insurance requirements and local permissions applicable to their specific business model.