THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Kerala, with its scenic locations, is not simply a must-visit destination after marriage. It has also emerged as the place to get hitched. Tourism stakeholders say big fat weddings involving people from other states have witnessed a massive uptick in Kerala following the relaxation of Covid restrictions. However, much more can be done, they say.
Kumarakom, Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram are the favourites, hosting the highest number of residential weddings in the state. Residential weddings are those where the bride, groom, their families and others are not from Kerala. Non-residential weddings are ones where all are from Kerala (Yes, the terminology is confusing).
“The number of residential weddings has gone up now. Before the pandemic hit, we used to host one or two weddings every season. Now, we host four. We are getting bookings for almost every weekend,” says Nishanth Nair, cluster director of sales of Hyatt Regency Thrissur and Grand Hyatt Kochi Bolgatty. “We can’t say the trend will repeat next year. Perhaps, there is an increase now as several events were postponed due to the pandemic,” he says.
However, lack of marketing Kerala as a wedding destination, stiff liquor rules, high airfare and trade union interventions are impacting the destination wedding industry, rue stakeholders. Nishanth says restricted bar timings are a major challenge. “We have to stop serving liquor by 11pm. For guests who spend four to five days here, this is a turn-off,” he says.
Wedding tourism: Govt plans targeted campaigns
Nishanth says, “Moreover, trade unions demand huge sums of money from guests for loading and unloading works. Such issues need to be sorted out. More relaxations need to be introduced.”The number of non-residential weddings has declined now. “There is a drastic decline. The number of guests is now half than before,” Nishanth says.
Joel John, CEO of Rainmaker Events, a Kochi-based destination wedding planner, says Kerala Tourism should carry out targeted marketing to sell the state as a sought-after wedding destination in India. “People prefer experiential venues. Rajasthan and Goa host the most number of destination weddings in India. Though people want to come to Kerala, lack of direct flights and high airfare are a major concern. Due to this, we are unable to host more destination weddings here. The state is also levying much higher tax on liquor than other states,” he says.
A senior tourism department officer says they are gearing up for aggressive campaigns to promote wedding tourism in Kerala.“We are planning social media and digital campaigns. A new page dedicated to wedding tourism will be started on our Kerala Tourism website,” says the official.