The Andhra Pradesh government has decided to develop the famous pilgrim town of Tirupati as a global wedding destination, along with its existing religious tourism ecosystem, special chief secretary (revenue) Mukesh Kumar Meena said on Wednesday.
“The wedding experience can also be linked with the spiritual and cultural attractions of the region. There was a need to increase the availability of quality budget hotels so that visitors from all sections could stay in the city.
Speaking to the media after a stakeholders’ conference on the Tirupati Economic Region (TER), Meena, who is also chief executive officer of TER, said the government was planning to promote wedding as a major economic activity in the temple town, by bringing accommodation, transport, catering, decoration, event management, photography, traditional arts, entertainment and other services at a single destination. He said the objective was to create facilities catering to people across economic segments, rather than limiting the concept of a wedding destination to premium or luxury events. “A combination of premium, mid-range and budget-level venues and accommodation could enable families from different sections to organise weddings in Tirupati according to their requirements and affordability,” he said. Guests can combine the Tirumala visit with visits to heritage, cultural and nature-based tourist destinations in Tirupati, Chittoor, Nellore and surrounding areas, creating wider tourism circuits,” he said. The official said a well-organised wedding destination would create opportunities for hotels, convention centres, banquet halls, catering services, decorators, transport operators, photographers, videographers, florists, event managers, artisans, textile and jewellery businesses and other service providers. Meena said the development of Tirupati as a wedding destination would require adequate accommodation, parking, public transport and connectivity.
