Backwaters beckon brides, grooms

Imagine two kettu vallams (traditional boats) tied together and swaying on the vast Vembanad backwaters in Kerala’s Kuttanad region. A grand stage is built across them to serve as the venue of a wedding ceremony to solemnise the union of a German groom and his British bride, who wears a Kanjeevaram sari and gold.

After the ceremonies, the newlyweds are packed off to a decorated houseboat for a honeymoon on the backwaters. This is the wave of ‘wedding tourism’ that Kerala is now promoting aggressively.

At the recent Kerala Travel Mart, jointly organized by the government and the tourism industry, wedding tourism was a major highlight. The annual KTM event, which showcases Kerala’s tourism products and attracts ‘buyers’ from many countries, found enthusiastic takers for the concept.

“We should have entered the wedding tourism market a little early,” a senior Kerala Tourism official said. “We now want to fast catch up with other wedding destinations such as Sri Lanka and Italy.” He recalled that Sri Lanka, at a recent global tourism fair in Germany, had decorated its stall into a fabulous Lankan wedding hall to woo tourists. Rajasthan, with its wonderful palaces and havelis, had long been into it, he said.

At the KTM fair, backwater regions such as Kumarakom, Alappuzha, Kochi, Kollam and Poovar were highlighted as the possible wedding destinations.

Houseboats, resorts, hotels and private homes could be offered as the venues to be followed by a honeymoon in the backwaters. Beaches like Kovalam and Bekal and hill resorts like Munnar and Wayanad could also play hosts.

An Intersight manager recalled: earlier this year an Austrian couple, had married in Kerala in a traditional Kerala Christian ceremony. The marriage was solemnized in a church but the wedding party was held on a houseboat. The couple had an entourage of about 50 people who stayed for one more week. All the wedding-related ceremonies and parties were arranged by event managers and tourism operators. “Even local autorickshaw drivers and flower vendors gained from the wedding,” the official remarked stressing the economic benefits from wedding tourism.

The concept could also be sold to NRIs looking for an exciting location for their children’s weddings. From within India, the tourism industry expects wealthy businessmen from Gujarat, Maharashtra and Delhi to be excited about a wedding in Kerala.

“We can provide theme-based weddings to North Indian customers,” said Ronnies Jose of Lulu International Convention Centre and Garden Hotel, where fabulous weddings are regularly held. “Everything is provided hassle-free by event-managing firms and other service providers.”