Kerala beckons destination wedding parties
The concept of destination wedding has been gaining popularity in recent years. Kerala has also been in the Destination Wedding tourism map for years. However, the recent chaos that affected the entire tourism industry like the regulations on liquor, nipah outbreak, flood etc., has affected the destination wedding sector also.
The recent celebrity wedding of Priyanka & Nick Jonas and Deepika Padukon & Ranweer Singh has aroused interest among prospective couples to celebrate the best moments in their life to be happened in one of their favourite tourist destinations.
People select the destination for weddings based on a number of aspects like location, cost, number of guests to be invited, distance of the location, proximity to airports, accommodation and other infrastructural facilities. When we consider all these aspects, Kerala is undoubtedly the best location to conduct destination weddings.
More than 500 kilo meters of coast line, pristine beaches, mountains and hill stations, beautiful backwaters, international standard hotels and accommodation facilities, above all – the only state in India with four international airports, makes Kerala the best choice for destination wedding parties.
Wedding party arrangements at Uday Samudra, Kovalam
“Now more customers are looking at Kerala as the destination for wedding parties. We have everything here, good beach front, backwaters, moderate climate and less costly when compared to other popular destinations in India and abroad,” said Raja Gopaal Iyer, CEO, Uday Samudra Leisure Beach Hotel and Spa, Kovalam.
Wedding party arrangements at Uday Samudra, Kovalam
“We can even conduct royal weddings here in Kerala same as in destinations like Rajasthan. We can arrange elephant, horses, even palaces can be re-created. We can provide them with our traditional art forms, ethnic foods and entertainment. Think about a ‘barath’ arranged in backwaters with an array of decorated shikaras and houseboats accompanying the groom’s houseboat. We can put forth such novel concepts,” said Iyer.
“If you ask what Uday Samudra can offer, I would rather say it will be as per the requirement of the client. We can cater the things as per their expectations. What is their concept, theme, budget – we can arrange everything according to it,” added Iyer. Two such marriages of NRIs from North India took place in Uday Samudra on 11th and 12th December.
Under water wedding at Uday Samudra, Kovalam
“Kerala has its own unique offerings in terms of hospitality and tourism infrastructure. We are naturally endowed with temperate and appealing climatic conditions, with a fine array of cultural experiences, cuisine and natural surroundings to choose from including tropical beaches, backwaters to misty plantations hills and resorts,” said Shuvendu Banerjee, General Manager of Crowne Plaza, Kochi.
Wedding hall at Crowne Plaza, Kochi
“Nothing also compares to the dedicated and unmatched Keralite hospitality that we are synonymous for,” added Banerjee.
Wedding hall arrangements at Crowne Plaza, Kochi
“Mostly Keralites residing in other states or countries used to organize weddings at hotels here. However, recently we have seen people from other states with no links here also organizing destination weddings. It is an encouraging trend. Our state can be promoted abroad as a wedding destination,” said E M Najeeb, former chairman of Kerala Travel Mart (KTM) and chairman of ATE Group.
All the stakeholders in the industry are looking for more initiatives from the part of the government to propagate Kerala as a destination wedding spot. We have to exploit the favourable conditions and take necessary steps to showcase Kerala in the Wedding Tourism map.