ALAPPUZHA: Alappuzha is set to cash in on wedding tourism in the wake of the tourism department’s decision to make Kerala a much sought-after wedding destination.
It may be recalled that DC had reported about the possibilities of wedding tourism in October last year and the idea was introduced by Kerala Tourism in the Kerala Travel Mart held in Kochi.
Mr Switten George, vice-president, All-Kerala House Owners Association, says weddings can be arranged on board cruising houseboats. “A total of 25 such weddings have taken place in the last five years. Rituals preferred by the customers will be arranged,” he says.
A national survey conducted in March last year by IPSOS, a global market research company, indicated that youngsters preferred destination weddings at locales like beaches, royal palaces and venues, including Alappuzha, Goa, Udaipur, Jodhpur, Taj Rambagh Palace and Jai Mahal Palaces at Madhuban, Assam, and Sainik farms, New Delhi. Alappuzha is the preferred destination in Kerala thanks to its canals and house boats.
Mr Binu Joseph, a houseboat owner who has conducted several houseboat weddings, says the government has to offer special packages and facilities to win the confidence of wedding parties.
The rate of wedding parties varies as per the need of the customers. “We can arrange a normal wedding party with 40 people within a range of Rs 40,000 to Rs 1 lakh,” he says.
District Tourism Promotion Council secretary C. Pradeep says the council is trying to attract couples to get married in houseboats in innovative ways. “It is easy to market the Venice of the East among foreign and domestic tourists. We will chalk out a plan to invite couples to tie the nuptial knots here,” he says.
