Polofactory is a brand created out of love for polo by co-founders Jai Singh and Vikramaditya Barkana, both Mayo College classmates. Along with designing and manufacturing polo equipment/ fashion wear and accessories, the company also organises bespoke polo holidays in destinations like the UK, Argentina and New Zealand. Explaining what inspired them to launch polo holidays, Singh said, “In polo, professional players get to travel all over the world for competitive polo. We wanted to bring the opportunity to travel and play in various destinations to beginners and amateurs. The setting was perfect as polo throughout the world is popular in such beautiful locations that the cocktail of polo plus holidays was bound to be successful. Also, playing abroad is great for skill development for beginners. Complete beginners can also go. It’s a great way to begin playing.”
For a game that is played in more than 50 countries across the world, the duo see immense possibilities in the niche segment. The countries which have a thriving polo scene are the UK, the US and Argentina. “Other polo hotspots include New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, Dubai, China, Chile, Thailand and Spain. Other variants of polo are played in Mongolia and Nepal – where you can find Yak Polo and Elephant Polo,”said Barkana, pointing out that Switzerland is the destination for snow polo while locations in Caribbean offer beach polo.
Not surprisingly, the profile of Indian polo travellers are successful and adventurous young people from big business houses or the banking sector. “Many times they’re travelling with their entire family. They usually do not need to be sold the idea of a polo holiday, they’re already keen to travel abroad to play and just need someone like us to sort it out for them,” mentioned Singh.
Polofactory is also promoting polo holidays for the inbound segment in Jodhpur and Jaipur. “Besides having great infrastructure for polo, the culturally/ historically rich and tourist friendly nature of these locations make them excellent destinations,” mentioned Barkana. They are also keen to promote other variants of polo in Manipur and Ladakh.