CHANDIGARH: Experts in the travel, tourism and event management industry say that if Punjab wants to bring Amritsar into the global tourism circuit, it needs to improve its infrastructure and brand it to become more than just a spiritual destination. He is of the view that Amritsar needs to be marketed as more than just a wedding destination. Speaking at one of the sessions, 'Amritsar as a wedding destination', on the first day of the three-day 'Punjab Tourism Summit & Travel Mart 2023' held in Mohali on Monday. , famous wedding planner Chetan Vohra says, With destination weddings now a holiday, the biggest question is, what else can you enjoy besides the wedding festivities in those two-three days? He said, “Is this true?” Don't limit Amritsar to just a wedding destination. In addition to weddings, people have started celebrating wedding anniversaries and birthdays, especially in the post-corona era, he suggested. Amritsar in Punjab has everything to offer including delicious food, heritage, culture and songs, so there is a need to change the narrative and promote such destinations well, he added. Mr. Devasish Srivastava of his group at Radisson Hotels pointed out his three key points to take Amritsar to the global tourism circuit – branding, co-branding and collaboration. There's something missing in the branding, he says. Agreeing that Punjab is the best place for weddings, he said apart from this, “There are people and communities from countries like Dubai, Canada, UK, Australia etc. who are interested in Punjab. We need to pay attention to whether that is the case,” he added. Srivastava added that apart from Sikhs, Sindhis also pay homage to gurdwaras. But the question is, did they promote Amritsar in Dubai, which has a huge number of Sindhis? ITC Fortune Hotels MD Sameer MC said that they promoted Amritsar because they have hotels in Punjab. The main target market at the moment is found to be Punjabis and Punjabi returnees. “We are looking at a small piece of the pie,” he said, adding, “If we want to compete with Rajasthan and Goa as a travel destination, we should focus on how we project Amritsar. ” he added. He noted that there must be a “recall factor” and that even lesser-known destinations are having a big impact. “Until we create aspirational value for Amritsar, we cannot properly position Amritsar as a wedding destination,” said Loveleen Multani Arun, founder director of Panache, a customized luxury travel company. Ta. She added that the younger generation has unique aspirations and wants luxury things, but with proper planning and focus, they can also get luxury things for less money. . There is a need to have a proper destination management company and someone should own Amritsar, opined Vijay Arora, director of event management company Touchwood Entertainment Limited. He said that Amritsar currently lacks luxury hotels.
