Turkey looks forward to hosting more Indian weddings

By Burcu Calik

ANKARA

India's leading wedding planners, one of Turkey's new target market for tourism, will visit Turkey for an international event in November.

Turkey will host international “Luxury Mice Workshop” in Istanbul between Nov. 18-21.

The event -- organized by the TravelShopTurkey&Murtis Tour of the Association of Turkish Travel Agencies (TURSAB) -- aims to revive the wedding tourism in the country.

It will also offer a chance to the participants to hold business to business (B2B) meetings with their Turkish colleagues.

The event is expected to add momentum to Indian wedding market, after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s call during his visit to India last year.

So far, 200 people from 20 countries registered for the event, the Director-General of TravelShopTurkey&Murtis Tour Murtaza Kalender told Anadolu Agency.

Apart from India, the U.S., the U.K., Germany, Italy, France, Spain, Iran, Algeria, Belarus, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, Croatia, Jordan and Kenya will be among the participants, he added.

‘One of the most comprehensive events’

Kalender said the participants will also visit hotels in Mediterranean province of Antalya as part of the workshop.

“This event, which will include 50 most important wedding planners of India, will bring the international buyers and exhibitors in the field of wedding tourism together,” he added.

“It will be one of the most comprehensive events,” the agency head said.

Turkey expects to host one million Indian tourists in 2020, Kalender stated, adding that only 100,000 out of 30 million Indian tourists visit Turkey each year.

Indians’ wedding expenses cost $750,000 to $1 million, and Europe hosts 500 Indian weddings annually, while the number is at 15 for Turkey, according to Kalender.

“If the problems with the flights are solved, I believe we can even exceed one million Indian tourists, because they love Turkey,” he said.

Turkey to be introduced in six Indian cities

Kalender said B2B Workshop was going to be held for the eighth time in India’s six different cities between Oct. 7-14.

“We will hold this workshop, in cooperation with the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, with 25 firms from Turkey,” he said.

He also added that their aim was to attract wedding, MICE (Meeting, Incentive, Creative Events) and congress tourism organizations to Turkey.