Mission Tourism: To make Kashmir most sought-after wedding destination

Srinagar, DHNS: After becoming a centre of attraction for tourists in the last two years, the Kashmir Tourism Department is on a mission to make the Valley the most sought-after wedding destination in the country in 2024.

As the wedding business is huge and becoming larger by the day, the tourism players in the Valley want to tap the potential in coming years by alluring people to celebrate their big day here.

Already dozens of destination weddings have taken place in Srinagar, at the famous tourist resorts of Gulmarg and Pahalgam, even as the world-famous Dal Lake remains the hot favourite.

With the improvement in the security situation and prevailing peaceful environment, Kashmir has been attracting many couples planning to make their destination weddings memorable.

Sensing the potential, the Tourism department has launched a novel campaign to position the picturesque Valley as an ideal wedding destination. The Tourism Department has already opened properties like the Royal Spring Golf Course in Srinagar for people to host their weddings.

As a part of the Union Ministry of Tourism and India’s incredible “India Says I Do Wedding” campaign, which is aimed at showcasing India as a premier wedding destination on the global stage, Kashmir tourism has also joined this mission to attract wedding planners across the world.

This campaign was launched across India in August this year. Under the campaign, the tourism department invites wedding planners, wedding influencers and wedding photographers to showcase their work that illustrates the contribution to destination weddings in Kashmir.

According to Secretary Tourism, Jammu and Kashmir Kashmir, Abid Rashid Shah, in the last few months, destination weddings have picked up in a big way.

“We have had some major destination weddings with the facilitation of the department of tourism,” he said and added this will take the tourism potential of Kashmir to the next level.

Priya Mehta, a wedding planner from Maharashtra said Kashmir gradually was getting promoted as a destination wedding ‘heaven’.

“Gradually people are getting interested in holding their wedding function in Kashmir. They enquire about the services which they can enjoy here. While some want their wedding during summer, others like it when it is autumn and winter time,” she said.

The weather in Kashmir can also play an important role, especially during the summer months, making it an ideal destination for outdoor weddings. The mild temperatures and clear skies create a comfortable environment for outdoor ceremonies and festivities in Kashmir during summer when the sun is blazing in mainland India.