Turkey lures tourists by introducing Indian weddings to offset decline

Lucrative Indian wedding organization has lately brought new hope to Turkey's fragile tourism industry overshadowed by the threat of terrorism and political uncertainty.

Industry representatives, who have discovered the potential of Indian weddings, have been seeking new ways to attract more into Turkey.

"Turkey first realized the potential of Indian weddings in 2011 when an Indian family preferred to hold their wedding in the Mediterranean coastal city of Antalya in Mardan Palace Hotel,"said Nihat Tumkaya, board member of the Professional Hotel Managers' Association and director of IC Hotels.

"They closed the entire hotel spending around a million euros," he added.

Turkey's tourism industry has been hit by a series of terror attacks, a failed military coup and lingering political uncertainty in the wake of a referendum that ushers in a stronger presidency.

The industry has also suffered from a row between Ankara and Moscow, after Turkey shot down a Russian fighter jet in November 2015 in an incident that has caused a sharp decline in the number of Russian tourists.

Data shows Turkey saw a 30 percent drop in foreign visitors and tourism revenues last year, the lowest in nine years.

"Amid all these difficulties in the industry, more Indians prefer to choose Turkey for their wedding destination because of the qualified service they receive here," claimed Tumkaya. "They also consider Turkey as very accessible as it is located at the center of the continents."

According to press reports, rich Indians spend an average of 6 billion U.S. dollars a year for the weddings they organize abroad.

Turkey has organized 20 to 25 Indian weddings until now, Tumkaya noted.

He said "When you consider the total amount that they spend, Turkey's share out of the giant cake is still very low."

"Now all we have to do is to build new bridges with the region to improve our relations and develop new strategies to attract more weddings to Turkey," he remarked.

Tourism agencies in Turkey have added a special category of "destination wedding planning" to their services.

"If you are planning a Destination Wedding, Turkey is a great country and Turkey Chalo Wedding Planners Team will be at your service from A to Z," reads a message on the website of Turkey Chalo, an affiliate of the Turkish travel company Worldwide Travel Services.

"Istanbul Eventz wedding planner creates the most fairytale wedding of your dreams at some of the most beautiful Bosphorus venues," boasts Istanbul Eventz, one of the organizers of the Indian wedding at Mardan Palace Hotel in 2011, on its website.

Amir Cicek, governor of the southwestern province of Mugla, said recently that his province had been working with Indian officials to organize Indian weddings in the province's resort towns of Mugla and Bodrum.

"A preliminary agreement will be signed with India in the coming days," the governor told reporters.

The Turkish side is expecting to host a group of 50 Indian officials in Mugla under the agreement, according to the governor. Endit