Wooing weddings

The rustic charm of India's hinterlands has since long cast its spell over many. While most come back to explore the rest of the country, there are few who are so wowed by the destination that they decide to take their wedding vows in these beautiful locales. But is India doing enough to tap into this lucrative segment when compared to her south east Asian neighbours? Sanjeev Bhar explores

Umed Bhawan Palace, Kota A recent incident which garnered much publicity (and drew some flack too) was the high profile wedding of American singer Katy Perry and British comedian Russell Brand who took their wedding vows at Ranthambore’s luxurious Aman-e-Khas resort. The Arun Nayar - Liz
Hurley wedding at the Umaid Bhawan Palace in Jodhpur also caught a number of eyeballs across the world. So has India arrived on the world map as a much sought after weddings destination, or has the country not capitalised enough on this segment?

Ummed Bhawan Palace

Kerala started making news when people came over to this state to get married in a traditional Kerala style in a houseboat or backwater resorts. Suresh Kumar, deputy director - Marketing, Kerala Tourism is of the opinion that weddings are critical for tourism especially for the state. Kumar says, “Wedding celebrations at a destination increases the footfall of tourists there. It brings a group of people including friends and relatives to participate in the ceremony and also for their holiday, create retention of the destination as a brand and thereby increase its brand value.” Kerala has been promoted as a romantic honeymoon destination among the domestic markets especially its backwaters and hill-stations. “The scope of wedding is important for Kerala as National Geographic Adventure quoted ‘Kerala’s houseboat is the best place in the world to propose to a loved one’,” he adds.

Sunil Sikka
The wedding segment is a key business driver for the hospitality sector. Sunil Sikka, head – Marketing & Business Development for ITC WelcomHeritage Hotels talks about the critical proposition of wedding celebrations that give a boost to WelcomHeritage properties (like Bal Samand Lake Palace, Jodhpur; Noor-Us-Sabah Palace, Bhopal; Umed Bhawan Palace, Kota; and, Khimsar Fort, Khimsar).

He says, “Wedding is considered to be the most auspicious moment of one’s life and who doesn’t want to make it a special affair. Our properties have been unarguably accepted as perfect venues for royal weddings and experiencing the traditional festivities in very private settings as if it’s one’s own palace. Most certainly the wedding celebrations at these properties have given a boost to them to emerge as preferred royal wedding destinations in the country.”

Neeta Raheja
So, Indians staying abroad come down for their wedding back to India with much fanfare is an opportunity which is being tapped now. The celebrations and revelry is a big capital grosser. In 2006, the wedding industry was tipped at a US$ 10 billion industry, according to market estimates. Noted wedding consultant Neeta Raheja believes that though this segment is growing rapidly YoY, it is yet to be tapped. She says, “I recall that in 2006, at ITB Berlin, India's Ministry of Tourism promoted destinations of North India for weddings but we never heard about the promotions later. Even today, India is not marketing its destinations, known and/or remote, that are apt for weddings unlike foreign countries which are promoting their wedding proposition.” Sikka believes that the market worth for weddings depends and varies from property to property. “Some of our properties having inventory to hold large wedding celebrations with excellent banquet facilities like Khimsar Fort and Noor-Us-Sabah Palace, while others with not that much of inventory pitch in for regular heritage holidays offered to the guests,” he adds.

Venue oriented destination

Manvendra Singh Shekhawat When it comes to outbound traffic, in terms of numbers, Indians are travelling a lot for honeymoon followed by for weddings. But weddings command respect in terms of volume of business and foreign nations, like Macau, are realising this potential thereby attracting Indian weddings. Anjum Sheikh, general manager for Macau Government Tourist Office in India feels that weddings have become a very important source market for any destination and Macau welcomes these. She says, “Apart from being a big incentive, it gives a great word of mouth publicity to all those who have been to the destination. They talk about it amongst the peers thereby pushing others to travel to the destination.” Thus, India has every reason to position itself as a country that can host weddings with innovative concepts, which can range from extravagant to subtle experiences. This particularly goes in favour of, and also has been aptly tapped by Rajasthan. Manvendra S Shekhawat, managing director of MRS Hospitality Group says that weddings are a niche experience and they have a niche market.

“Weddings are looked upon as a special occasion and therefore, a special treatment is expected. We therefore, designed Suryagarh Fort in Jaisalmer with open spaces, courtyard that an old fort would have and thus, offers a great place for weddings amidst old world charm,” he explains. The hotel is hosting a wedding in January where charter flights will land in Jaisalmer. Sikka believes in recreating the regal ambience of the bygone era with the finest venues offering spacious, banquet halls, large lounges, modern and luxurious facilities, excellent accommodation along with unmatched hospitality. “We are also promoting them as most desirable wedding destinations for couples looking for out-of-the-box experiences for their guests. We intend to reach the target audience by communicating the uniqueness of our properties as wedding venues by making travel agents aware of our USPs as well as using press and media to create awareness,” he explains.

“It is usually NRIs who look for exotic and remote locations for weddings. When it comes to weddings where either the bride or groom is an Indian, the preference is for palaces, forts, etc. Interestingly, hotels are promoting themselves based on their capability to host weddings. Like in the outskirts of Delhi, Mapple Emerald is marketing itself completely as a wedding destination with 10 banqueting spaces,” says Raheja. According to Shekhawat, selection of the destination varies according to the degree of elaborate celebrations. For example, he says, Jaisalmer’s wedding is the best un-kept secret and wedding planners design wedding revolving around Rajasthan’s grandeur. Sikka informs, “The famous TV actor Rajiv Khandelwal has planned to get married at Khimsar Fort this February. High networth individuals (HNIs) both from India and abroad, are preferring to get married in WelcomHeritage resorts, to make it an experience of their lifetime, which will indirectly promote our destinations, as heritage destinations too.” Shekhawat adds, “We are in fact in touch with event management companies who handle weddings of high profile people. This way, there is a connect which is created with the destination.”

Growth as a travel product

The growth for weddings as a travel product is slowly taking place and the scope is immense. It gives an impactful visibility to a property and creates new market opportunities. Sikka says, “The objective is to tap the ever growing demand for hosting royal weddings, both for the domestic clientele as well as high net worth NRIs who are looking for special experiences with folk entertainments, thematic setups.” The group is promoting heritage properties by sending regular mailers with packages, events and experiences for weddings, both nationally and internationally, and also planning to introduce exclusive wedding and banquet brochures which would be sent to its partners i.e. domestic travel agents and foreign tour operators. “I certainly feel that a boost to the number of royal and celebrity weddings hosted by our properties also gives a strong visibility to the properties for the discerning visitor,” he adds. Similarly, Kerala’s geography compliments honeymoon travellers, and by promoting weddings as such Kerala has become a priority destination for honeymooners from all parts of the globe.

Anjum Sheikh

Weddings need to be seen differently from honeymoons to understand the challenges, believes Sheikh. She says, “They are two separate segments, both of which can rarely be the same destination. If it is a destination wedding, the honeymoon would be in a different destination and if the wedding is in India, the destination could be a great honeymoon place. For example, Macau has been portrayed both as an honeymoon and a wedding destination. In fact, we have had a few weddings in Macau and at the same time numerous honeymooners travelling to Macau to spend time together. Macau being a small country, lots of people find it comforting to travel to this destination.”
Of late, India has hosted a few international weddings which gave a distinct image to the country which is now perceived to be luxurious and exotic in this facet of travel. However, due to infrastructure as well as pricing, India does seem to lose out. At the same time, we forget that it is only in some countries like India where weddings are a major activity, whereas in other countries weddings are a quiet simple ceremony with a few friends and relatives.

Shekhawat raises a few critical concerns that are yet to be addressed to popularise destination weddings as a product. Citing Jaisalmer as an example he says, “We are promoting our proposition to hold royal weddings in international travel marts, wedding fairs, etc. The only problem is transportation as the airport in Jaisalmer offers only charter flight operations. Also the state government should address issues like infrastructure, more hotels, which would enable the state to use weddings as a potential travel product to promote the destination.” Raheja adds, “It is not necessarily NRIs or foreign nationals but also, resident Indians who are exploring places within the country for wedding venues. Also, airlines have started giving good discounts for bulk booking with them.”
Focus on the destination

Suryagarh Fort, Jaisalmer

Bollywood movies have also been promoting destinations for weddings. For instance, the wedding sequence in 3 Idiots, when actress Kareena Kapoor runs away from her wedding was shot at WelcomHeritage’s Woodville Palace in Shimla. The film Black was also shot there. Sikka says, “The revenue generated through marriages at Woodville Palace has increased over the last three years after the film 3 Idiots made it famous. These are clear signs that it has certainly helped the proposition for high revenue generating events. The place now hosts many weddings.”

The question that crosses one’s mind is whether weddings focus on the destination or just highlight a venue. If one gets married at a particular place, it is not necessary that others will marry there. But, there is a high possibility that others would come to know about the place and might visit it post marriage during their honeymoon. Hence, the honeymoon segment should be seen in its entirety. Kumar believes, “New tourist destinations have emerged with changing trends. From holiday makers to experiential travellers and from honeymooners to adventure enthusiasts, Kerala has been able to cater to varied interests of travellers. The tourism department has identified certain places based on its strengths, mainly the north region of Kerala. New tourism circuits featuring the unseen and unknown regions have also been introduced.” Irrespective of this fact, there has been no direct promotion by Kerala Tourism weddings. It is believed that it is the tour operators and resorts that create packages to lure wedding clients. Similarly, Rajasthan promotes the cultural facets, but has not come up with a strong promotional strategy to tap the segment weddings, barring a few resorts, forts and palaces.

Another important fact is that weddings need not be seen as the direct cause for destination promotion. It is the indirect approach that brings business to a wedding destination. Raheja explains, “When a destination is chosen for weddings, it is added up with excursion itineraries focusing on leisure, shopping, adventure and so on. This way, a lot of business is generated for the region.” According to her, weddings are planned ahead of time and therefore, prospective brides and grooms promote their place of wedding through the internet/social networking sites. Hence, the destination information reaches a large audience who may later plan to visit that place. Thus, wedding gives a boost to a destination or creates a new one altogether for explorations.
Unique promotional tool

Balsamand Lake Palace, Jodhpur
Weddings are one celebration that is becoming extravagant day by day, and more so among Indians. Needless to say, it has been recognised as a self sustaining industry. Sheikh feels, “Indian weddings are a festival in themselves. The dancing, feasting etc goes on for weeks and with sangeet, mehendi etc it is a long affair too.” For instance, the Perry- Brand wedding held in October 2010 was a four-day affair with friends and families joining in. Weddings offer a large number of headcounts associated with the event that tourism can tap into.
It is also true that large scale weddings demand a lot of infrastructure in place. Kumar says, “The ambience and the scenic setting are key factors for choosing a wedding destination. Also, accessibility to the destination is an important factor.” Kumar mentions the many benefits of destination weddings. “The direct benefit of popularising a destination based on weddings is revenue for the hospitality sector viz resorts, hotels, convention venues, etc, and revenue for tour operators. Whereas the indirect ones are the creation of goodwill for the brand (read destination, state) and also, local community gets the benefit,” says Kumar. At the same time, weddings can be a strong marketing tool to promote other dimensions like Yoga, Ayurveda, etc.

“For a destination to be accepted as a popular location for weddings, a few factors are essential like excellent food, desired number of rooms and impressive décor. When one chooses a remote place, the ambience factor overrides the décor factor. Many say, accessibility is an issue but that is usually taken care of by wedding planners and the guests are always ready to take some trouble for a befitting final outcome of a secluded special wedding ceremony. Hence, it is strange that tourism departments of different states hardly market the possible destinations that are apt for weddings and thereby losing out on the opportunity to the outside world,” sums up Raheja.
sourced: www.expresstravelworld.com