TravTalk India Online Magazine
Inspite of few flagging bookings, the unanimous opinion is that 2022 will be a jackpot for the wedding industry, not just for domestic destinations but with families venturing into international locations as well.
Hazel Jain
The great Indian wedding – a once-in-a-lifetime event for many – has seen a tumultuous last 24 months. But the upcoming season promises to bring the colour back to an otherwise ‘pale’ industry. While many weddings are back in full swing, albeit within the country, for others it is still a wait and watch situation.
Zubin Saxena, Managing Director and Vice President (Operations), South Asia – Radisson Hotel Group, feels that the surge in vaccination rates has given Indians the confidence to host wedding ceremonies in-person, albeit with a focus on health and safety protocols. “Our hotels across Goa, Udaipur, Alibaug and Lonavala and Karjat are seeing an uptick in numbers with newer destinations emerging such as Vizag. For families looking for offbeat experiences and the novelty factor, our newly launched resorts and hotels are being considered as attractive options as they also double up as safe leisure getaways,” he says.
To meet this demand, Radisson Hotel Group is offering immersive guest journeys customised for couples, families, and their guests, with initiatives such as speedboat transfers and champagne welcomes at resorts. Saxena adds, “We have further introduced refreshed menus with signature cuisine options from our more than 100 hotels. With the pace of travel and consumer confidence levels both picking up, we are optimistic about this wedding season. ”
Are saya dates still winning?
One of the most ardent advocates of non-saya, or non-auspicious dates for Indian weddings, Rajeev Jain, Managing Director at Rashi Entertainment, feels that the Indian wedding industry continues to suffer because of the pandemic. “But we at Rashi believe that the Indian wedding industry will witness a significant rise as the pandemic is more or less over now. I believe that international weddings are opening up fast, and by 2022, we will witness many international weddings across the world. Domestic destinations are already an ‘in’ thing now. We are getting enquiries, but all are for saya dates only,” he says.
Forever the optimist, though, Jain adds that one will find many new opportunities opening up such as new domestic destinations. Jain adds, “Dedicated tourist spots such as Goa, Jaipur, Jodhpur, Mahabalipuram, Udaipur, Kerala, and Khajuraho and the like are doing roaring business currently. We all should be prepared to cater to an increase in weddings that will take place in the next year, with new domestic destinations and out-of-the-box ideas at our disposal. For all of us, we all have huge business opportunities for the coming seasons. The client/s will spend more on entertainment as new concepts arise. The expenditure on food and clothes will also increase as the number of functions go up significantly since they are being held in India. ”
Meanwhile, Meera Charnalia, Senior Vice President & Head (MICE), Thomas Cook India reveals that her division has executed several weddings and related events this year, with a several events lined up in the next few months. “The weddings are mostly booked during the saya dates, but due to the COVID-19, the customers are also open to the idea of planning them on non-saya dates this year. A majority of these are destination weddings with themed weddings. The families of brides and bridegrooms are now displaying an appetite for increased spending in order to move out of their home location to host the ceremony at a dream location. Some of the destinations in demand for lavish weddings include Jaipur, Udaipur, Hyderabad, Lonavala, Mahabaleshwar, and Alibaug among others. Goa and Kerala are famous for hosting sun-downer weddings,” Charnalia adds.
Small, convenient weddings
Perhaps as a result of the pandemic, many families, it seems, are opting for convenience rather than sticking to saya dates. Atul Upadhyay, VP (Operations) at Pride Group of Hotels, feels optimistic that COVID-19 cases are declining and restrictions are being eased. “With the new normal, the wedding business will taketime to revive. But currently, the wedding season looks promising. Many have taken the vaccination, and at this point, small weddings have become the new normal, with live streaming and virtual guest attendance alongside. Yes, this goes for non-saya dates as well. Nowadays, it’s more about availability, convenience, and combining with holidays rather than just saya dates,” he says.
Destinations such as Goa, Dapoli, Gangtok, Udaipur, and Mussoorie where Pride Group has its resorts are doing well for pre-wedding shoots, Upadhyay claims. “It is about convenience when it comes to destination weddings now. Hence, city banquets such as Indore, Pune, Nagpur, Ahmedabad, New Delhi, and Kolkata are equally popular.Our locations at Bharatpur, Rajkot, Puri, Goa, Mussoorie and Dapoli are quite popular and busy. Our team allots an internal representative to each event,” says Upadhyay.
No budget cuts
Only those families that can afford to spend, plan for fantasy weddings on dream destinations, says Dharmendra Singh, Director, Plaisir Hospitality Services and Maharashtra Chapter Chairman, ADTOI. “We are getting queries and two of them are in the finalisation stage for February and March 2022. People are interested in doing destination weddings in places like Goa, Jaisalmer, Udaipur, Jodhpur, and Jaipur. Nowadays wedding budgets depend from client to client. It starts from `25 lakh onwards. That is why you can see every year at least 10 to 12 luxury resorts opening up in India,” Singh opines.
Meanwhile, Jitendra Kejriwal, Chairperson of Arika Tour & Travels and Chapter Chairperson, IATO-Maharashtra, states that the entire wedding industry is sold out until February 15, 2022. “All bookings are exclusively in India this year and all wedding properties are sold out, including for non-saya dates. The rates for saya dates have skyrocketed.The Leela Goa is around Rs 45,000 to Rs 50,000 plus taxes per night.”
“The clients’ budgets are the same as pre-COVID-19 levels; they have not come down and the people are okay with spending now.” For March 2022, some of the clients are inquiring about international wedding destinations,” Kejriwal adds.
