In the photo, the wedding of billionaire couple Rushang Shah and Kaabia Grewal in Phu Quoc. Photo: Kaabiagrewal.

Before the pandemic, Vietnam witnessed two weddings of Indian billionaires in Da Nang city and Phu Quoc Island (Kien Giang Province). As Vietnam has fully reopened its tourism, experts and businesses in the field of tourism are interested in changing the image of Vietnam.

Mr. Pham Sanh Chau - Vietnamese Ambassador to India - said the Indian market is especially important for Vietnam’s tourism opening. The weddings of Indian billionaires in Phu Quoc or Da Nang have stimulated the needs of Indian tourists to visit Vietnam.

In the years before the pandemic, more than 23 million Indians traveled abroad. Vietnam can attract this group of tourists. Vietnam has had a direct air route to India, which is also an advantage to help the two countries receive guests conveniently.

"Indians have been locked up for a long time because of the pandemic and they are especially interested in the Vietnamese market. While waiting for guests from countries like the US, Australia, France..., I hope the Government will create favorable conditions to welcome Indian tourists first," said Ambassador Chau.

Ambassador Chau also emphasized that the type of wedding tourism for Indian guests is a segment with high potential. He proposed making a video about Indian weddings held in Vietnam to sell wedding tours.

Currently, there are about 2 million wedding organizing companies in India. The Vietnamese Embassy will support connections between Vietnamese tourist firms and these companies to attract Indian guests.

Up to 10 million weddings are held in India every year. According to a report released by KPMG in 2017, the value of the Indian wedding market is estimated at around $50 billion.

Another segment in India is year-end trips of companies. "Every year, Indian companies spend a lot of money to organize year-end tours for their employees. So, we should not just stop at approaching tour operators, but should also engage with Indian groups because they have a large fund for travel,” Ms. Chau said. In terms of family travel, Indians tend to travel in large numbers, bringing the whole family, he added.

In addition to Indian billionaires, Phu Quoc has also welcomed Lao billionaires who come to relax and play at casinos.

In 2019, there were two Indian billionaire weddings held in Vietnam. The first wedding held in Phu Quoc in March was billionaire couple Rushang Shah and Kaabia Grewal. According to Ambassador Pham Sanh Chau, this was one of the nine most anticipated weddings in India in 2019.

The second wedding was held in Da Nang at the end of the year. Ambassador Pham Sanh Chau said this was the biggest wedding in Da Nang with 700 high-class guests.

Mai Lan

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