The onset of the pandemic had battered the wedding segment – a very important market for Indian hospitality players. However, with the coronavirus situation under control, the pent-up demand is at an all-time high this year, say Indian hoteliers.
Manoj Bagri, managing director, 7 Apple Hotels & Resorts said: “Destination weddings are witnessing good traction this year. The wedding segment is a key market for both our properties – Amoravida by 7 Apple Resorts, North Goa and 7 Apple Resort Lonavala.
“There is an increase in the demand for intimate weddings. This year, we have registered approximately 35 per cent growth over the last year from the wedding segment.”
As per WedMeGood Indian Wedding Industry Report 2021-2022, last year has been a tumultuous one for the wedding industry. In its survey which polled over 3,000 users and wedding vendors, 80 per cent of vendors agreed that more than 30 per cent of their business was affected. Only a minority of the vendor population mentioned that they had witnessed minor or no change.
Akash Garg, chairman & managing director, Timber Trail Resort and Moksha Himalaya Spa Resort said: “The demand for Indian hotels is back to pre-pandemic years – in fact, it is surpassing the growth of the 2018-2019 wedding season. We are working closely with leading wedding planners and are promoting our hotels through social media platforms to attract demand from this segment.”
Many hotels recorded weddings either getting postponed or trimmed down in 2020 and 2021, resulting in overall losses for the hospitality players. This year, tables have turned and the buoyancy in the wedding market is helping hotels to recover from the setbacks caused by the pandemic.
Damandeep Singh, general manager, Karma Lakelands, Gurgaon shared: “The Indian wedding segment is bouncing back in a big way. With normalcy returning, Indian guests are now looking at various destinations for their special day. The number of wedding queries this year has increased by three times compared to last year with the guest list increasing significantly, which is a great boost to the business.”
The Indian hotels are now rejoicing as a large number of weddings are taking place in the country this year. Many have devised strategies to garner their share of the wedding market.
“Weddings are back for us to almost 90 per cent of the pre-Covid levels,” said Sarbendra Sarkar, managing director, Cygnett Hotels & Resorts.
In order to cater to this segment specifically, the hotel chain has created a new product, Wedding Bells by Cygnett, which offers “end-to-end solutions for the vast requirements of a wedding group”.
