Destination Weddings: Becoming a lucrative business opportunity
Aspirational Indian travellers with spending propensity are now seen looking at overseas destinations and NTOs are leaving no stone unturned to tap the potential
India is known for its diverse and colourful culture and weddings are the best places to observe its varied traditions. The big-fat Indian wedding has always been an object of wonderment for the West — the song, dance, colour, food and rituals make for a rich cultural experience. Apart from being a symbol of culture and once in life time event, it is fast becoming a fashion to organize weddings at international venues. With Indian economy growing and increase in disposable income, shortage of venues in India, destination weddings have increasingly been becoming popular. With every passing year, Indian weddings are getting bigger and better. Aspirational travellers with spending propensity are now seen looking at international venues to celebrate their special day.
According to a report by by New World Wealth, India was home to around 2,36,000 High Net Worth individuals (HNWIs) in 2015 and this number is set to grow by 135 per cent to reach around 5,54,000 by 2025. It is no wonder then that National Tourist Offices (NTOs) have been promoting themselves for destination weddings bearing in mind that the market is one that can afford the extravaganza.
To say that destination weddings are just for the upper class could be wrong the last few years have seen some major changes in terms of wedding expenditure in terms grandeur. Earlier only the elite were known for organising such lavish affairs but today a new consciousness has been seen in the upper middle-class as well and they too desire to have grand celebrations.
This led to expansion of the size of the Indian wedding industry. The wedding industry in India is flourishing and statistics corroborate the fact. Currently, the industry is over Rs 100,000 crore and is growing at 25-30 per cent annually. The estimated cost of a wedding with no expenses spared could be between Rs 5 lakh to Rs 5 crore, in India. A person, in India, spends one fifth of the wealth accumulated in a lifetime on a wedding ceremony.
Emerging Scenario
As the Indian economy grows, the aspirations of people to experience new indulgences also grow. “Indian weddings have always been lavish and larger-than-life celebrations. The trend is further expanding with the choice of newer destinations. From just being one odd wedding abroad, it’s an emerging segment and continuing to grow,” says Rajeev Nangia, Director, Monaco Government Tourist Bureau – India. Elaborating it further, Mohd Hafiz, Director, Tourism Malaysia, states that the wedding industry in India is pegged at US$40 billion and is growing at 25-30 per cent annually. “Considering the fact that around half of India’s population is under 29 years of age, the marriage market is set to boom like never before over the next five to ten years. A person, in India, spends one fifth of the wealth accumulated in a lifetime on a wedding ceremony. A guest list of 300-500 people is considered very normal at Indian weddings,” Hafiz adds.
According to Lubaina Sheerazi, India Representative, Ministry of Tourism, Oman, weddings in India are a very extravagant affair and an event celebrated to the fullest. “Destination weddings are gaining a good deal of traction in the Indian market as a segment which is growing rapidly as more and more people are opting to tie the knot at exotic and new locations.
Gaining popularity:
Having understood the psychology of Indian HNIs and upper middle class seeking exclusivity factor of making their wedding unique in terms of every nuance involved, NTOs are now aggressively promoting their destinations in the Indian outbound wedding market.
Weddings and honeymoons are high priority segments that figure in the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) marketing plan for 2016 to 2017 and India is considered as a top source of high revenue weddings to Thailand. “We have seen a growth from few weddings to 300 weddings in a year. The average size of Indian wedding celebrations in Thailand, ranges from 250-800 and length of stay is around 3 -5 nights. Thailand has many advantages compared to other destinations such as world class hotels, beautiful beaches, proximity, availability of Indian/ vegetarian food, Thai hospitality, excellent spas, shopping attraction etc.,” says Pinki Arora, Marketing Representative North & East India, Bangladesh & Nepal, TAT.
Explaining the reason for Thailand emerging as a preferred destination for wedding, she says Thailand’s close proximity to India, value for money, world class hotels and resorts, beautiful beaches, availability of Indian food, Henna artist, elephant/ horse for the Barat exceptional service and hospitality are some of the reasons which reconfirm the certainty that a dream wedding can turn to a reality in Thailand.
Malaysia has also emerged as a popular wedding destination for the Indian market. “Malaysia is emerging as one of the most hip and happening wedding destinations of the world. Many destination Indian weddings have taken place in Malaysia – on the beaches of Langkawi, in the City of Kuala Lumpur and the highlands of Cameroon. Malaysia has a gorgeous coastline with numerous islands and beach resorts making it a perfect beach wedding destination. Kuala Lumpur, Kota Kinabalu, Langkawi, Putrajaya, PangkorLaut, Penang are popular wedding destinations while Langkawi, Cameron Highlands, Berjaya Hills ( BukitTinggi), PangkorLaut, Banjaran Hot Springs and Retreat are riding high on the honeymoon popularity charts,” Hafiz says and adds that opportunities galore in the Indian outbound wedding market and Malaysia is well equipped to deliver whatever the situation demands – fancy accommodation, picturesque locations, best malls for shopping, delectable global cuisines etc.
Turkey is the only country where one can have a wedding in between Europe and Asia; it is a unique blend of culture. “We have seen a good growth in destination weddings in Turkey. We can offer a range of customised packages and tips about how to plan a romantic wedding in Turkey. To further facilitate for larger groups we also arrange for charters, as the Indian wedding groups are quite big in size. We have Antalya, Istanbul, Bodrum, Ankara, Fethiye, Oludeniz, in Turkey which are one of the most sought after destinations for an exotic wedding,” says Murtaza Kalender, Managing Director, Travelshop Turkey.
A newer destination for the India market, Oman, has also been promoting destination weddings. Leveraging it’s proximity to India, coupled with a unique topography, the destination has been working closely with the Indian trade to woo wedding parties. Speaking about Oman as an ideal wedding destination, Sheerazi says that Oman has witnessed 7 weddings including a high profile wedding from the Bollywood film industry that saw the likes of Sonam Kapoor and friends in attendance in the last 2 years. “We also have confirmation of 3 weddings that will take place in the last quarter of 2016,” she says.
Monaco, the second smallest country in the world, has increasingly been becoming the destination for some high-profile Indian weddings. “We receive 2-3 enquiries every year and the number is set to grow in 2016-17. The enquiries that we have received so far have been ranging from 250 and going up to 800 plus, mostly lasting from three days to a week, and using the best venues available in Monaco. Whether you are planning a larger-than-life celebration or an intimate wedding, Monaco has various customized options and glamorous venues to suit your needs. Whether it is food, Mandap settings, flowers or cocktails, everything is taken care of to ensure that the big day is perfect to the last detail. The country provides unparallel options of venues and hotels such as De Paris Monte-Carlo, Hermitage Monte-Carlo, Fairmont, Metrople Columbus and Monte-Carlo Bay Hotels & Resorts for big fat Indian weddings,” says Nangia.
Within Thailand, destinations like Hua Hin, Rayong, Pattaya , Bangkok, Phuket and Khao Lak are very popular for Indian weddings. “The hotels and service providers in these destinations are now very familiar with Indian ceremonies, customs and terminologies. Thus it gives the Indians a comfort level when dealing with the hotels and service providers. Destinations like Chiang Mai, Krabi, Kanchana buri are the upcoming destinations for Indian weddings and celebrations,” Arora adds.
Fine-tuning strategy:
Weddings are becoming or have become a commodity which provides opportunities to the hosting destination to market itself as a place where a special memorable life event is celebrated in unforgettable way. It creates potential for destinations to recognize their unique selling feature and to market it to innovative wedding tourists who are willing to pay. Innovation in wedding tourism opens the market, creating a place for destinations of varying and natural landscapes to profit from this market segment.
Oman was initially concentrating on attracting premium leisure travellers from India. “In 2013, we took a decision to expand the tourist profile arriving into Oman and diversifying to other markets to increase arrivals like Weddings, Films etc. To promote Oman in the destination weddings market, we conducted our first wedding planner’s familiarization trip in 2013. Since then, we have conducted at least one wedding planners FAM every year. We also actively conduct sales meetings and presentations with wedding planners and attend events associated with destination weddings. We also plan to be present in wedding fairs and exhibitions in the coming years as it will help us reach out directly to the consumers. All our efforts have slowly but certainly yielded results,” says Sheerazi.
TAT keeps on innovating its strategy to tap the India market. “To draw more Indian weddings to Thailand, TAT is participating in popular and reputed Wedding marts and exhibitions in India. Apart from this a wedding FAM and symposium is organized twice a year for wedding planners to visit new destinations and locations in Thailand which are favorable for hosting Indian weddings. The planners also get an opportunity to meet service providers in Thailand that can assist in planning that perfect wedding celebration in Thailand,” Arora says.
For Indian couples looking for some familiarity with a dash of exotica, a Malaysia destination wedding is a big draw, combining awe inspiring landscape and scenery, mist – covered valleys and mountains, serene secluded beaches and green lagoons. “We are positioning Malaysia as an ideal value for money destination close to home. Several other factors like a delectable cuisine and the melting pot of cultures also help market the wedding segment effectively. We showcase our facilities that suit every budget; be it luxury or otherwise, as accommodations, even the best of five star hotels are available at rates 40 per cent less than India and the options are many,” Hafiz says.
Like other NTOs, Tourism Malaysia also works with wedding planners largely as they are big influencers in recommending destination weddings. “We take them on familiarization trips for a first hand view of the offerings of the destination. Tourism Malaysia also takes part in specialized wedding shows and exhibitions where we get a ready-made audience looking specifically for our products. Apart from this, through our advertising campaigns we project Malaysia as a perfect wedding destination and honeymoon destination. We also work with a few travel agents who have diversified their business to organised destination weddings,” adds Hafiz.
Similarly, Moanco is also working closely with some high-end Indian wedding planners, and keep them updated on this growing trend of overseas weddings. “We also recently participated in the India’s first-ever wedding destination show, Indian Wedding Travel Mart (IWTM), as one of the leading country partners, wherein we showcased the various facilities and perfect locations to host your dream wedding in Monaco,” he adds.
Changing trends
Sheeazi opines that the concept of Indian wedding has seen drastic changes, over the last few years. “In the yesteryears, the ceremony was a brief affair, confined to an economical budget, even though the guest list was long. These days the occasion is generally celebrated in an elaborated way, with number of rituals that are conducted before, during and after it. The concept of pre-wedding and post-wedding shoots are also gaining popularity with couples choosing exotic locations for these photography shoots. Cocktails, bachelor/ bachelorette, Bollywood theme nights etc are some other functions that have almost become mandatory and part of any Indian wedding. A long guest list, colorful and extravagant venue, lavish feast and a series of rituals are the key ingredients of the ‘big fat Indian wedding’ that we see today,” she says.
According to Nangia, Indian weddings are all about opulence, grandeur and the awe-inspiring scale of the celebrations. “With each year, the multi-crore wedding industry grows bigger, imbibing new trends, such as destination weddings, which allow the hosts to invite relatives and friends, and give them time and space to catch up with each other, and experience new aspects of exotic locales and themes,” he adds.
Since wedding is once in a life time event, people tend to spend lavishly and the growth is eminent. “Indian weddings are getting grander, bigger and each one tries to outdo the other, creating new experiences for their guests,” says Arora.
In conclusion, Destination wedding is a growing niche market that has impacted destinations on all continents. With demand predicted to continue increasing, this sector will grow in its importance to the tourism industry.
