It is meant to be the happiest of days, the coming together of two people in marriage.
Over a period of time, several couples from around the country and the world
have sought to have their wedding in Goa. This has led to an industry that
conducts business in several crores. It is an industry that has several players
who support each other to ensure the couple leaves the state with fond
memories. Several thousands were employed in the industry. And then Covid
happened. Jobs were lost and companies shut shop. It was a very rough and
depressing situation. This situation persisted for more than a year and a half.
And now the situation seems to be changing. Enquiries for weddings in Goa
seemed to be on the increase and it is expected that if the third wave does not
strike then the number of weddings scheduled to be held in Goa would increase
even further.
Seby Godinho of Celebration Needs said
right now there was an increase in the number of enquiries for weddings. He
said it was an improvement considering the industry was dead earlier. He said
“It is around 5 to 6 percent of regular business. And yes all my enquiries are
local. They are from people settled in the UK but now in Goa and crews from the
shipping industry living in Goa. They all have very tight budgets. I have two
confirmed for November and some more in December.” He however went on to say
that at times he was forced to say no to business because he did not know what
the situation would be in a month or two or three if the third wave stuck. Seby
said “We are right in the middle, to take things forward we have to pay
suppliers and we would be stuck if the client pulled out.”
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Saiesh Kamat of Blue Breeze, a production
company that deals with wedding planners said there were enquiries for November
and beyond. Budgets he said were tight now and competition had increased. He
hoped business would increase in the days ahead. .
Kabeer Agate of Zen Weddings said there
were a lot of inquiries for weddings. Goa he said was buzzing and as an event
production company he was getting calls from wedding planners. He however was
being prudent because budgets are tight. There was, he said, a lot of business
for wedding planners but they would have to decide how to play it.
A long time player in the business who did not want to come on
record for fear of ruffling feathers said the business was going great. Hotels
he said were full on all the Muhurat dates. The grass he said was certainly
shooting up. Hotels he said had also increased rates which were natural because
all of them had lost a lot in the past two years. This was the time now to make
up. Wedding parties he said were negotiating very hard but with the market
steady now, people in the industry were ok with all. The season he said was
looking robust.
Vaibhav Kalangutkar of Event Basket said the Coronavirus was a
blessing for the industry in Goa. The scene he said was wonderful. Those who
had survived the tough two years were now in a position to make up. He said
they were getting a good number of enquiries. Vaibhav said “ we expect good
business from November to March. International travel is still not happening.
Elite crowds go to Udaipur and Kerala and we all know the situation in Kerala.
All those enquiries are now coming to Goa”. He said hotels were earning and premium
properties were raking in the money though people were still not willing to
spend too much on décor. Guest’s numbers were down but business he said was
coming in and that was a source of much relief.
Abhishek Kumar Singh of Big Fat Weddings said there was an
increase in the number of leads though people were still a bit hesitant to make
the payment out of fear for the third wave. He said “People think it could come
anytime between November and January. We have to block dates and when they
cancel we are left with nothing. This rise in enquiries has also been fueled by
the opening of the casinos. We have operations in Udaipur and it is really good
there business wise and I hope it picks up similarly in Goa.”
Enquiries
have certainly increased and yes budgets are limited but given what the
industry went through over the past two years, this will be a welcome relief
for everyone in the business.
