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Our Bureau

Thiruvananthapuram , Aug. 22

IT'S no longer just beaches, backwaters and hill stations that bring international visitors to Kerala, but also marriages.

Over the past few years, Kerala has emerged as a popular destination for conducting weddings, with many non-resident Indians and foreigners choosing to get married in the State. Kerala's beach resorts, houseboats and lakeside resorts have been the venue for these nuptials.

Kerala is quickly becoming a centre for many low-key international weddings, said Mr E.K. Bharat Bhushan, Principal Secretary-Tourism, Government of Kerala.

Mr M.R. Narayanan, Managing Director, Floatels India Ltd, the company that owns the Poovar Island Resort near Thiruvananthapuram, added that his resort was the venue for an NRI wedding a couple of years ago. The Poovar Island Resort receives several wedding-related enquires every year and is likely to host a wedding ceremony for a UK-based client next year, he added.

A few days ago, Isola Di Cocco, another resort near Thiruvananthapuram was the venue for the marriage of two UK-based NRIs. The entire resort was booked for the wedding party, said Mr Aji Alex, Vice-President, Isola Di Cocco. Kerala's tourism sector can benefit tremendously if the State is promoted as a destination for weddings, he added.

According to Mr Narayanan, Kerala has the potential to be promoted as an exotic `wedding destination'. However, this needs to be marketed in a more organised manner, he added.

Kerala Tourism on its part is thinking of including details about the State's potential as an exotic locale for wedding ceremonies in some of its promotional materials, Mr Bhushan said.

However, Mr K.C. Chandrahasan, Managing Director, Kerala Travels, pointed out that the legal aspects of wedding ceremonies held in Kerala could create complications. For instance, foreigners who get married in Kerala may need to go through the legal formalities in their own country for the nuptials to be legally valid, he explained. Therefore, such legal issues must be considered before promoting `weddings in Kerala' as a tourism product, he added.

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