The stakeholders’ conference on the Tirupati Economic Region (TER) here on Wednesday envisaged Tirupati becoming a global wedding destination, drawing lakhs of tourists from across the world.
Addressing the media after the conference, Special Chief Secretary (Revenue-Excise) Mukesh Kumar Meena, who is the TER Chief Executive Officer, said that 50 to 100 potential projects would be identified in the next four months.
He explained that weddings could be a major economic activity as they involve bringing accommodation, transport, catering, decoration, event management, photography, traditional arts, entertainment and other services together for a single event.
He said the objective should be 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 could enable families from different sections to organise weddings in Tirupati according to their requirements and affordability, he said.
He opined that the wedding experience could also be linked with the spiritual and cultural attractions of the region. The guests could combine the Tirumala pilgrimage with visits to heritage, cultural and nature-based tourist destinations in Tirupati, Chittoor, Nellore and surrounding areas, creating wider tourism circuits.
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, he said.
“Such an ecosystem can generate employment opportunities for the local youth. Training in event management, hospitality, catering, tourism services, transportation and digital services will help create a skilled workforce to meet the requirements of the emerging service economy,” Mr. Meena said.
Planning Secretary Ananth Shankar said the development strategy should integrate the resources and requirements of all three districts through a long-term regional plan. The projects identified should be practical, outcome-oriented and capable of generating measurable economic benefits.
Tirupati District Collector S. Venkateswar said the district has good potential beyond religious tourism, particularly in wedding and eco-tourism. Increasing the stay of pilgrims and tourists requires simultaneous improvements in accommodation, transport and other infrastructure, he said.
Nellore District Collector Himanshu Shukla and Chittoor Collector Sumit Kumar said that collaborative efforts to tap the potential of the districts would help achieve synergy.
