New Delhi: Istanbul holds a special place in Abhinav Agrawal's (name changed on request) heart. It's where he first met his to-be-wife two years ago, so choosing it as his wedding destination for November felt 'right.'
"But, with rising tensions because of Pakistan and Turkey's visible alignment with them, we no longer felt as emotionally connected or comfortable with hosting our wedding there," said Kolkata-based Agarwal. He has now zeroed in on Ras Al-Khaimah (UAE). "Besides the landscape and the warm hospitality, we like the sense of peace and security it offers," he added.
High-net-worth individuals in India and even wealthy non-resident Indians are rescheduling their big fat destination weddings slotted for Turkey and choosing other options instead.
Milestone celebrations, offsites and official events scheduled for Turkey and Azerbaijan are getting cancelled, impacting the meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions (MICE) segments.
Prachi Tandon, co-founder and director of Copper Events, said clients were pushing their weddings scheduled for later this year to other destinations such as the UAE and even Rajasthan in India.
"Bahrain has become the most important destination for us now. Some of the UAE governments are very supportive and they have waived visa fees for couples planning their destination weddings there," she added.
Mihir Ranpara, co-founder and director of event management company GoBananas, said his company was entrusted by The Confederation of Real Estate Developers' Associations of India (CREDAI) to manage an event scheduled for Baku in September. The event, which is likely to be attended by 1,200 delegates, has now been shifted to Singapore.
"We were about to sign the contracts with hotels but considering the stance of Azerbaijan in the India-Pakistan conflict, we have shifted the event to Singapore. We have decided that as planners, we are not going to promote Turkey and Azerbaijan. We are suggesting destinations such as Bali, Thailand and Sri Lanka," he added.
Vijay Arora, co-founder and director of Touchwood Group, which manages large-scale weddings and corporate events, said he does a lot of weddings from Turkey. "Antalya and Bodrum have been in-demand destinations. We share a good rapport with the destination management companies there and they are also disappointed and sad to see the turn of events," he said. "Most clients are considering Bahrain, Doha, and the Middle East," he added.
Tushar Khanna (name changed on request) had finalised Antalya for his wedding slated for March next year. "It has everything we wanted, from the scenic coastline to beautiful resorts, but with the recent uncertainties, we've had to put our plans on hold," said Khanna. "We're now exploring Rajasthan and Bahrain as possible options. At this point, we just want a place where everyone feels safe and we can celebrate without worrying," he added.
Swati Pandya, founder, Global Luxe Weddings, said Indian weddings had generated a lot of revenues for the services industry in Turkey.
"From salons to entertainment to F&B establishments, to taxi operators, everyone benefited. But it is disgraceful that none of these companies or industry associations took a stand for India. There are so many possibilities in India, and exploring options here makes a lot more sense," she added.
"But, with rising tensions because of Pakistan and Turkey's visible alignment with them, we no longer felt as emotionally connected or comfortable with hosting our wedding there," said Kolkata-based Agarwal. He has now zeroed in on Ras Al-Khaimah (UAE). "Besides the landscape and the warm hospitality, we like the sense of peace and security it offers," he added.
High-net-worth individuals in India and even wealthy non-resident Indians are rescheduling their big fat destination weddings slotted for Turkey and choosing other options instead.
Milestone celebrations, offsites and official events scheduled for Turkey and Azerbaijan are getting cancelled, impacting the meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions (MICE) segments.
Prachi Tandon, co-founder and director of Copper Events, said clients were pushing their weddings scheduled for later this year to other destinations such as the UAE and even Rajasthan in India.
"Bahrain has become the most important destination for us now. Some of the UAE governments are very supportive and they have waived visa fees for couples planning their destination weddings there," she added.
Mihir Ranpara, co-founder and director of event management company GoBananas, said his company was entrusted by The Confederation of Real Estate Developers' Associations of India (CREDAI) to manage an event scheduled for Baku in September. The event, which is likely to be attended by 1,200 delegates, has now been shifted to Singapore.
"We were about to sign the contracts with hotels but considering the stance of Azerbaijan in the India-Pakistan conflict, we have shifted the event to Singapore. We have decided that as planners, we are not going to promote Turkey and Azerbaijan. We are suggesting destinations such as Bali, Thailand and Sri Lanka," he added.
Vijay Arora, co-founder and director of Touchwood Group, which manages large-scale weddings and corporate events, said he does a lot of weddings from Turkey. "Antalya and Bodrum have been in-demand destinations. We share a good rapport with the destination management companies there and they are also disappointed and sad to see the turn of events," he said. "Most clients are considering Bahrain, Doha, and the Middle East," he added.
Tushar Khanna (name changed on request) had finalised Antalya for his wedding slated for March next year. "It has everything we wanted, from the scenic coastline to beautiful resorts, but with the recent uncertainties, we've had to put our plans on hold," said Khanna. "We're now exploring Rajasthan and Bahrain as possible options. At this point, we just want a place where everyone feels safe and we can celebrate without worrying," he added.
Swati Pandya, founder, Global Luxe Weddings, said Indian weddings had generated a lot of revenues for the services industry in Turkey.
"From salons to entertainment to F&B establishments, to taxi operators, everyone benefited. But it is disgraceful that none of these companies or industry associations took a stand for India. There are so many possibilities in India, and exploring options here makes a lot more sense," she added.
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