Goa Tourism launches Destination One to promote the state as ideal wedding destination

July 29, 2014 - PRLog -- To tap the growing potential of the destination weddings market in India and promote the state as a wedding destination, Goa Tourism has launched Destination One, an integrated hospitality establishment concept to provide exclusive and personalised services for the Wedding segment. The special initiative has been chalked out on a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) mode and the State Tourism Department will identify and develop five properties under Destination One in four to five years.

This initiative was announced by Dilip Parulekar, Minister for Tourism, Woman & Child Development, Government of Goa, at a press conference in Mumbai recently. Nikhil Desai, Director - Tourism, Government of Goa and Managing Director, Goa Tourism Development Corporation (GTDC); Nilesh Cabral, Chairman, GTDC; Shilpa Shetty Kundra, Bollywood actress and Chairperson, Satyug Gold (sponsors of the event); Raj Kundra, CEO, Satyug Gold; fashion designer, Wendell Rodricks; and Rajesh Srivastava, Director, Tiger Camp Pvt. Ltd., were present at the event.

Parulekar stated, “The Indian Wedding market is valued at USD 38 billion a year and is expected to grow 25-30 per cent annually. We want to tap this segment and position Goa as the most attractive Wedding destination. We are also organising Wedding Show 2014 at Select Citywalk mall in New Delhi on August 16 and 17. The show, targeting end consumers, will serve as a major platform to bring together the best that Goa has to offer for this segment in terms of hotels, venues, wedding planners and other service providers, and also highlight Destination One initiative. We plan to make the show an annual property.”

According to Desai, destination weddings have become a huge trend in India. “The dreamy beaches of Goa provide the perfect backdrop for a romantic wedding ceremony. We have many luxurious and picturesque wedding venues across the state. We also have the advantage of an exotic cuisine—a blend of the East and West. The Destination One concept will help us provide a great wedding experience and tap the segment effectively,” stated Desai.

Calangute Residency on Calangute Beach, property of GTDC, is the first property to be developed under the Destination One concept. GTDC has tied up with Tiger Camp Pvt. Ltd. and has leased the open space in the property for a period of 22 years. Tiger Camps will set up ‘Escapade’ multi-cuisine restaurant, ‘Cafe Hangout,’ the ‘Panacea Lounge Bar’, and ‘Sea Lawns’—an open air facility that will serve as a venue for events on the acre, plus lawns of Calangute Residency.

Srivastava informed that most facilities will be operational by September-October this year. “We want to create a true and complete beach wedding venue and Calangute Residency is bang on the beach. We can easily accommodate 1,500-2,000 people in the integrated space. People go to Bali, Ibiza, etc., for destination weddings. Now they can come to Goa and have a great beach wedding. The facilities can also be used for team building events and conferences by corporate entities,” said Srivastava.

Tiger Camp is also working on a destination wedding project in McLeod Ganj near Dharamshala in Himachal Pradesh on a PPP mode. The company has got 70,000 sq ft of land on lease for 40 years from the state government and will be developing a 40-room hotel, restaurant, and shops of authentic and branded handicrafts. The project will be operational late next year.