KOCHI: Flood and Nipah may have affected tourism but Kochi is in no mood to slow down. The city has turned a popular destination for weddings in recent years. Due to its vast water bodies and scenic locales, hotels and tour operators are pitching Kochi as a most preferred place for destination weddings in the global market now.
Shrikant Wakharkar, general manager, Grand Hyatt Kochi, said the hotel is receiving several bookings for destination weddings. This year, around 15 destination weddings were held at Grand Hyatt alone.
“Kochi is now one of the most preferred places for destination weddings. The entire hotel is booked for the wedding for several days. Cultural events are organised. Food is prepared as per the menu fixed by organisers. Even other hotels in the city host destination weddings. With more international flights operating from Kochi, people from different parts of the country like to come here for holding weddings,” He said.
Saritha Babu, director, Greenix Ventures, a Kochi-based cultural events organiser, said destination wedding segment is witnessing immense growth in the last one years. “Hotels and resorts located close to backwaters and beaches are most preferred locations. Apart from Kochi, some hotels located in Alappuzha and Thiruvananthapuram host destination weddings. We organise cultural events during such luxurious weddings. This year alone, we organised 24 snake boat races in Kochi for events like destination weddings and conferences,” she said.
According to Saritha, its mostly people from North India and NRIs who prefer Kochi for such luxurious marriage functions. “Culture, scenic locations and art forms attract people. Those attending marriages can also explore popular tourist destination like Alappuzha, Munnar and Thekkady in short duration,” she said.
However, destination weddings are also a big-budget affair. Mausam Bhattacharjee, director of sales and marketing, Grand Hyatt said on an average a destination wedding cost around
Rs 5-8 crores. “We cannot say the exact cost for organising a destination wedding. The food preferences and events organised differ in each marriage. Some organisers prefer to book the entire hotel while some go for a limited number of rooms. However, it is an expensive affair,” he said.
Points
1,69,846 foreign tourist visited Ernakulam till March 2019.
9,96,091 domestic tourists visited Ernakulam till March 2019.
C5-8 crore spent on organising destination wedding here
Apart from Kochi,
destination weddings are organised at
Alappuzha and
Thiruvananthapuram