Rajan Datar

BBC journalist and broadcaster

Rajan Datar is an award-winning international broadcaster, public speaker and conference moderator. He is one of the most recognisable faces of international TV travelogues. His latest programmes for the BBC include over 60 travel documentaries, spanning destinations from Bosnia and Uzbekistan to Sri Lanka.

He recently presented the highly acclaimed three-part special on BBC Radio 4, The Tourist Trap, exploring the pressures that record-breaking tourist numbers are imposing on popular destinations, local communities and the environment; and he appeared as a guest on Trevor Noah’s What Now podcast. Rajan also presents The Forum and Over to You on the BBC World Service and has reported for flagship programmes such as Newsnight and The Money Programme.

As a sought-after speaker and moderator, he has led discussions for WTTC, UNWTO, A World for Travel, and major literary festivals including Hay and Cheltenham, engaging audiences of up to 70 million.

He regularly writes for the Guardian, the Times, the Mail, the Face and The NME, and presented the ground- breaking BBC2 travel show Rough Guide to the World.

Studied Philosophy, Politics and Economics at Oxford University; MSc degree from London School of Economics. Founder/Bass Player of Maroon Town, globetrotting ska and reggae 8-piece band for 35 years.