Turkey Expected to Generate $500 Million from Wedding Tourism
Over 1,000 couples from the Gulf countries, India and Pakistan are expected to tie the knot this year in Turkey, earning the country more than $500 million in wedding tourism revenues, according to sector representatives.
Wedding tourism, one of the most important income items of the Turkish tourism industry, has already erased the traces of the pandemic. Turkey, which has become popular again in destination weddings after a two-year hiatus, managed to reach 2019 figures in the first 7 months of the year.
View this section on Destination Weddings in Turkey
Stating that 2019, which broke records in terms of both the number of weddings and income, will be surpassed by the end of this year, sector representatives aim to place Turkey among the top 10 countries in destination weddings. Turkey, which is set to host more than 1,000 weddings for couples primarily from the Gulf countries, India, Pakistan and Azerbaijan, will generate over $500 million.
Meltem Tepeler, Founding Head of the Turkish International Events Association (TUED) and European Board Member of the International Live Events Association (ILEA), said that destination weddings made a quick start to the year. Tepeler noted that over 1,000 couples will say "yes" to happiness in Turkey.
"We organize 3 different events: a welcome party, henna night and wedding. The minimum event budget of only one event starts from $100,000 and goes up to $5 to 6 million according to need. The annual contribution of these weddings to the economy will exceed a minimum of $500 million," she explained.
Tepeler emphasized that they received the most requests from the Gulf countries to organize a wedding in Turkey and that Lebanon, United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Iran are currently in the top three source markets. Those countries are followed by India and Pakistan, she said, noting that weddings are very important for Indians who love luxury. “That's why weddings for couples from India are worth millions of dollars," Tepelr added.
Stating that between 100 and 1,000 guests attend destination weddings, Tepeler stated that the guests stay for a minimum of 3 days. "They stay for three days for only the wedding event. Afterwards, they definitely want to see different cities. Their average stay is 7 days," she added.
Wedding tourism contributes not only to the events sector, but also to many other sectors from hotels to food and beverage, and retail, Tepeler said. "Wedding guests who prefer the most luxurious hotels spend $1,000 to 1,500 a day only for accommodation and catering. Also, when we include their budgets for shopping, daily expenditures can reach $4 to 5,000", she highlighted.
Pointing out that the guests who came for the wedding came back to the country for a holiday, Tepeler said, "We even have guests who come here and buy a house. Last week, an Iranian guest who came for a wedding bought an apartment in Istanbul for $1 million."
The upward momentum in destination weddings will continue in the coming year, the sector official said. "We have already started receiving requests for 2023. Contracts for some weddings have been signed. We think that we will set new records next year, unless something goes wrong," she further said.
Explaining that Turkey is still not in the Top 10 in countries attracting destination weddings, Tepeler said, "Dubai is our strongest competitor in this field. Our goal is to make our country rank in the Top 10 as soon as possible."
Istanbul is the most popular location for weddings in Turkey. "Especially the hotels lining the Bosporus are the most in-demand places. There is also demand for luxury segment hotels and rural weddings," said Tepeler.
Read: Top 12 Luxury Wedding Venues in Istanbul
Noting that Istanbul is followed by southern Turkey's Antalya and Bodrum, Tepeler said, "Recently, Cappadocia has also started to stand out as an important destination for weddings."
