While some wedding experts are still experiencing flagging bookings as compared to others, the unanimous opinion is that the next year will be a jackpot for the wedding industry.
Hazel Jain
The great Indian wedding has seen a tumultuous last 24 months. But the upcoming season promises to bring the colour back to a paling industry. While for many weddings are back in full swing, albeit within the country, for others it is still a wait-and-watch situation.
Zubin Saxena, Managing Director and Vice President (Operations), South Asia, Radisson Hotel Group, feels that the surge in vaccination rates has given Indians the confidence to host wedding ceremonies in-person, albeit with a greater focus on health and safety protocols. “Our hotels across Goa, Udaipur, Alibaug and Lonavala and Karjat are seeing an uptick in numbers with newer destinations emerging such as Vizag. For families looking for offbeat experiences and the novelty factor, our newly launched resorts and hotels are being considered as attractive options as they also double up as safe leisure getaways,” he says.
To meet this demand, Radisson Hotel Group is offering immersive guest journeys customised for couples, families, and their guests, with initiatives such as speedboat transfers and champagne welcomes at resorts. Saxena adds, “We have introduced refreshed menus with signature cuisine options from our more than 100 hotels. With the pace of travel and consumer confidence levels both picking up, we are optimistic about this wedding season.”
Are saya dates still winning?
One of the most ardent advocates of non-saya, or non-auspicious dates for Indian weddings, Rajeev Jain, Managing Director, Rashi Entertainment, feels that the Indian wedding industry continues to suffer because of COVID-19. “But we, at Rashi, believe that the Indian wedding industry will witness a significant rise as COVID-19 is more or less over now. International weddings are opening up very fast, and by 2022, we will witness many international weddings across the world. Domestic destinations are already an ‘in’ thing now. We are getting inquiries, but all are for saya dates only,” he says.
Forever the optimist, Jain adds that one will find many new opportunities opening up such as new domestic destinations. He says, “Destinations such as Goa, Jaipur, Jodhpur, Mahabalipuram, Udaipur, Kerala, and Khajuraho are doing roaring business right now. We all should be prepared to cater to an enormous surge of weddings that will take place in 2022, with new domestic destinations at our disposal. We all have huge business opportunities for the coming seasons. The client will spend more on entertainment as new concepts arise. The expenditure on food and clothes will go up since the number of functions will soar as they are held in Indian destinations.”
Meanwhile, Meera Charnalia, Senior Vice President & Head (MICE), Thomas Cook India, reveals that her division has executed several weddings and related events this year, with a healthy forward pipeline for the next few months. “The weddings are mostly booked during the saya dates, but due to the pandemic, customers are also open to the idea of planning them on nonsaya dates this year. Most of these are destination weddings with themes. Some of the destinations in demand include Jaipur, Udaipur, Hyderabad, Lonavala, Mahabaleshwar, and Alibaug. Goa and Kerala are for hosting sun-downer weddings, “she adds.
Small, convenient weddings
Many families are opting for convenience rather than sticking to saya dates. Atul Upadhyay, VP-Operations, Pride Group of Hotels, feels optimistic now that COVID-19 cases are declining and restrictions are being eased.”With the New Normal, the wedding business will certainly take its own time to revive. But currently, the season looks very promising. Many have taken the vaccination, and at this point, small weddings have become the norm, with live streaming and virtual guest attendance alongside. This goes for non-saya dates as well. It is now more about availability, convenience, and combining with holidays rather than just saya dates,” he says.
Destinations such as Goa, Dapoli, Gangtok, Udaipur, and Mussoorie where Pride Group has its resorts are doing well for pre-wedding shoots, Upadhyay claims.
“City banquets such as Indore, Pune, Nagpur, Ahmedabad, New Delhi, and Kolkata are equally popular. If we talk about destinations, our locations at Bharatpur, Rajkot, Puri, Goa, Mussoorie and Dapoli are quite busy,” he says.
No budget cuts!
People have money to spend and only those families that can afford to spend on weddings plan for destination weddings, says Dharmendra Singh, Director, Plaisir Hospitality Services and Maharashtra Chapter Chairperson, ADTOI. “People are still interested in doing destination weddings in places such as Goa, Jaisalmer, Udaipur, Jodhpur, and Jaipur. Wedding budgets depend from client to client. It starts from `25 lakh. That is why you can see every year at least 10 to 12 luxury resorts opening up in India,” Singh opines.
Meanwhile, Jitendra Kejriwal, Chairperson, Arika Tour & Travels and Chapter Chairperson, IATO-Maharashtra, says the entire wedding industry is almost sold out until February 15, 2022. “This is true even for non-saya dates. The hotel rates for saya dates have skyrocketed. For instance, the Leela Goa is around `45,000 to `50,000 plus taxes per night.” His company is also receiving queries for Indore and Hyderabad. “The clients’ budgets are the same as pre- COVID-19 levels; they have not come down and people are okay with spending now.” For March 2022, some clients are inquiring about international wedding destinations,” Kejriwal adds.
