It looks like the sun
may be shining on the wedding industry in Goa yet again with more couples
choosing to tie the knot in Goa. The memories of the last two years may be in
the distant past with all the restrictions now been lifted. For wedding
planners in the state it seems the good times are back.
For Lester Rodrigues who is just entering the business, it seems
to be a good time to make that move. He said he was answering calls from
interested clients from all over the country. Though he said with so many
players in the market, competition is very intense and the prospective clients
were negotiating very hard.
Seasoned marriage planner Manjit Khandeparker felt business was
quite good. He however felt there were still some teething issues like getting
necessary permissions from the authorities.
“Everyone is taking advantage of the situation. Clients are
negotiating very hard. They have no qualms about approaching six or seven
wedding planners and taking quotations. Several companies have slashed their
rates. I know of a company that used to charge around ten lakhs for decorations
and now is willing to do the same for a lakh. It is crazy and yes the client
wants the quality to be very good.
“Let me assure you everyone does very good work but how they go
about it is what makes the difference. I am not willing to conduct business in
such a fashion. I used to do a lot of business with NRIs settled in the UK but
that market is not there now because of the COVID-19 virus. I just hope my NRI
clients return,” Khandeparkar said.
For Luis Mendes a seasoned operator in this market, business has
certainly improved. With the restrictions having been lifted, he was getting
calls from parties from all over the country. Luis said, “Queries are certainly
there but not many seem to be willing to put up the monies required for a
wedding in Goa. Costs have not increased but budgets have not. People are
negotiating very hard. People want an elegant wedding without wanting to pay.
The situation however is changing and one is hoping for the best.”
He ended by saying that with so many companies offering the
service, competition had become very intense and undercutting was rife.
A long term player in the market who had now shifted to
subcontracting his contracts said the market was certainly looking very good.
He said, “Over all the situation has improved after the slight scare in January
when it flipped. Business has started coming in. It all depends on the muhurat
days with Gujarats and Marwaris. With Punjabis and Sindhis that is not the
case. I am happy.”
One
of the bigger players in the business is Shruti Tiwari. According to her,
business was now booming with an average of 3-4 inquiries every day. She said,
“Considering that the last two years have been very unpredictable and with the
decline of COVID cases, all the cancelled and postponed weddings are taking
place now. Keeping the COVID guidelines in mind, there are a lot of clients
coming to Goa for destination weddings as they prefer that their guests travel
within the country rather than going abroad..
