New Delhi is gearing up to woo the world with big fat Indian weddings

livemint.com:

₹4.7 trillion, up 25% from the previous year. Though no firm estimates are available of the money spent overseas by Indians on weddings, since it’s the rich who go in for such lavish destination dos, we can assume a substantial amount could be captured locally if the ministry’s campaign succeeds. If ‘Make in India’ is about the creation of manufacturing jobs, ‘Wed in India’ could generate matrimonial jobs.

Reports suggest that Modi’s exhortation has begun to take effect and some foreign locations have already been replaced by domestic ones by convinced—or squirmy—citizens. It helps that India’s hospitality industry has mastered the art of delivering what the most exacting of wedding planners demand, at least at the market’s top end, right down to fine details like the scents of scented candles. While several five-star hotel chains have acquired reputations for wowing guests as well as clients, gaining a competitive advantage in global reckoning would require attention paid to end-to-end experiences.

This should be a special focus if we expect India’s proposition to make headway and earn foreign exchange. Since many invitees from abroad may be first-time visitors to India, we must aim to keep the contrast low between what they encounter upon arrival at an airport and how they’re received at the wedding venue. This task would be easier if a hot list is drawn up of destinations to be prepped for such occasions.

The air of royalty in Udaipur has already made it a favourite for grand parties of this kind. The beaches of Goa grant it another sort of wedding vibe. And then there is Agra, where the Taj Mahal could act as a duly romantic backdrop.