Goa Backtracks on Hefty Fees For Destination Weddings
26.09.2024 - 03:11
/ skift.com
/ Thomas Cook
/ Peden Doma Bhutia
/ Bulbul Dhawan
Goa is not ready to lose out on the destination wedding business, especially this close to the upcoming wedding season. The state has rolled back its decision to increase the fees to hold private events, including weddings.
The Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority (GCZMA) had increased the fees to INR 100,000 ($1,200) a day. Now it has reinstated the previous fee structure: INR 100,000 per event for a five-day period, followed by an additional INR 10,000 ($120) per day.
Goa and Destination Weddings: Goa is a very significant Indian destination for holding weddings, according to Parthip Thyagarajan, CEO of WeddingSutra.com, a wedding planning portal. “For the couples who do not want a Rajasthan wedding, Goa is their next consideration,” he said.
The number of five-star properties and easy accessibility has led to Goa being a destination wedding hotspot, and in Thyagarajan’s opinion, it will continue to remain one.
However, the increase in fees would have had some impact. “Weddings include a number of expenses. For those who hold a big fat wedding at a five-star resort in Goa, this might be a small expenditure. On the other hand, for those who have a smaller wedding with a more constrained budget, a higher fee could take away their choice,” Thyagarajan said.
Goa requires applications to be submitted for holding events at the beach to ensure that each event adheres to the state’s guidelines. Apart from ensuring that events held at the beaches largely do not involve “vulgarity, threat to national pride, security, peace and harmony,” the state looks at impact on traffic and movement of people, safety, security arrangements, and sanitary arrangements before permitting an event.
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