KOCHI: Kerala is emerging as one of the most preferred wedding destinations in India, thanks to the charming backwaters, hill stations and beaches that offer picture-postcard settings for nuptial bliss. Last year, the state recorded a boom in destination weddings. And, according to industry experts, the trend is becoming a round-the-year affair.
Taking note of the prospects, the tourism department has now launched its first beach wedding destination in the state, at Shankhumukham. Developed under the public-private participation (PPP) model, the venue is set to host its first wedding on Thursday. This comes at a time when Prime Minister Narendra Modi has gone ‘vocal for local’, urging Indian families to avoid holding weddings at foreign destinations and, instead, look inward.
Industry players estimate that Kerala hosted at least 120 high-end weddings last year. “The budget for these weddings ranges from Rs 5 crore to Rs 10 crore,” says Raju Kannampuzha, a wedding planner based in Kochi. Raju adds that Goa and Rajasthan are the other leading Indian destinations. In Kerala, Kochi, Kumarakom and Kovalam top the list.
The majority of Kerala’s clientele is from Delhi, Gujarat and Maharashtra. Besides the state’s tourism industry, airliners and the heli-aviation sector, too, have been benefitting from the trend. “Kochi is the most preferred destination because of the connectivity,” notes Raju.
“Last year, about 150 chartered flights arrived in Kerala just for destination weddings. The Kochi airport has opened a special arrival lounge for chartered flights. On average, 100 to 300 people attend these marriage ceremonies. Many of them hire helicopters as well for the functions.”
Stiff competition
After the Covid outbreak, all international boundaries were shut down and those who eyed foreign destinations for weddings started exploring locations within the country. “Goa has been trending for such events for a long time now,” says Shilendran Mohanachandran of CGH Earth group. “Kerala has more to offer than beaches. We have beautiful hill stations and backwaters as well. This combination makes us stand out from the rest.”
He adds that the north Indian wedding season has kicked off, and it will go on till March. “We are getting plenty of inquiries. However, compared with last year, there has been a slight dip because international destinations have reopened,” he says. Shilendran insists that Kerala Tourism should strengthen its marketing. “We should campaign when they start planning the wedding. Doing it now will not serve the purpose, as most parties would have already planned the weddings,” he points out.
Furthermore, industry players note, that many other exotic locations such as Sri Lanka, Thailand and Malaysia have started visa-on-arrival facilities. Hence, they believe, the tourism department should do more extensive, aggressive campaigns. Kerala Tourism has, indeed, been running a campaign to market Kerala as a wedding destination since last year. “It’s been one of the major campaigns done by Kerala Tourism. Our aim is to capitalise on the changing social media trends,” says a top tourism department official.
A wedding venue being set up by the tourism department near
Shankhumukham Beach I B P Deepu
“After Covid, people started preferring wedding ceremonies away from their homes. There was a boom in the number of events being held at hotels and resorts. Though we don’t have forts like Rajasthan, Kerala has immense potential.” Currently, the tourism department is upbeat about transforming Shankhumukham into a beach wedding destination. “It’s a pet project,” the official adds.
“We will be closely watching the response. If the feedback is good, we will definitely set up more public sector infrastructure to promote wedding tourism.” The department has launched the page on the Kerala Tourism website and the stakeholders have already started registering so as to get featured on the site. “So far, at least 30 properties have been registered, and the number is growing,” the official says.
NRIs love Kerala
Industry players are quite excited about another new trend — NRI communities settled in Europe and other countries returning to Kerala for wedding get-togethers.
“In most cases, either the bride or the groom will have a Kerala connection,” says Raju, who has been in the industry for 20 years. “We recently hosted a wedding in Kumarakom. The groom was a Malayali, and the bride was a European. They wanted a traditional wedding, and both the families were here.”
Such marriages happen around the year, and they are small, private weddings. The cost starts at about Rs 1.5 crore,” adds Raju.
‘High spirits’ missing
Even as there is a big thrust on promoting Kerala as a premium wedding destination, Kerala is missing out on a lot of business because of its liquor policy, say industry stakeholders.
“The government should bring in relaxations in the liquor policy, especially for weddings and MICE tourism (meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions),” says Shilendran Mohanachandran of CGH Earth group.
“Currently, we cannot serve liquor after 11 pm. Due to stringent rules, many groups head to other destinations. We have taken this up with the state government.”
Snake boats ready to thrill
Clients arriving in Kerala for weddings are offered a slew of curated experiences. The latest in that trend is the snake boat race. “We have held over 60 boat races for our clients,” says Raju Kannampuzha, a wedding planner. “Not only does this benefit the boat owners and those participating in the race, but local shops too enjoy good business. Artefacts, handicrafts, handloom and other traditional souvenirs of Kerala are sought-after by tourists. In that way, destination weddings benefit associated stakeholders, not just hotels or resorts,” he adds.