Looking out for a destination wedding? Gujarat has the answer

In an effort to aid tourism in the state and revive the sector amid the coronavirus pandemic, the Gujarat government is looking to promote the Statue of Unity and the area surrounding the site as a place for destination weddings.

The authorities have decided to map the Statue of Unity Tent City 1 as a wedding venue. Authorities have been quoted by The Indian Express as saying that the picturesque location that also has an open-to-sky setting with Narmada Dam in its backdrop makes Statue of Unity Tent City 1 a compelling location for people looking for destination weddings.

The authorities of the Tent City 1 have made the booking open for weddings at Rs 2.5 lakh per package of 50 people. According to the Indian Express report, the wedding venue has 60 tents, and two “Presidential Cottages’ and authorities managing the venue have said that the offering is affordable as they used to charge Rs 12,000 per night for each cottage before the pandemic hit the business.

The destination is located just 4 km from the Statue of Unity, the 182-metre tall statue of India’s iron man Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. The Gujarat government has adopted a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model to develop Tent City 1 into an appealing site for destination weddings in collaboration with an Ahmedabad-based event management company.

The Tent City 1 complex and its management have made a mark for themselves since the time it started functioning in October last year by successfully hosting prestigious events such as a World Bank Conference attended by the World Bank CEO David Malpass, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani. It has also hosted three weddings before coronavirus forced the management authorities to close the complex which also included a marriage from a prominent civil servant from the state.