Turkiye expected to host highest number of destination weddings in 2022, India to be largest contributor, ET TravelWorld

Türkiye, one of the most popular locations for destination weddings, is expected to host weddings of over a 1,000 couples in 2022. Wedding tourists this year will be predominantly from India and some other countries. With weddings being the significant revenue generators for the Turkish tourism industry, the outstanding numbers witnessed this year have already outweighed the dent caused by the pandemic, informed the tourism board in communication shared exclusively with ETTravelWorld.

Considering the international number of visitors received from January to August 2022, Turkiye is expecting to welcome the highest ever number of Indian families in the year 2022 than in 2019, which was a record-breaking year for international travellers in Turkiye. Also, autumn is considered the ideal time for organising a wedding in Turkiye with Istanbul, Bodrum, and Antalya being the top 3 destination choices for couples.

Here’s what makes these historic cities the preferred choice of tourists while hosting weddings in Turkiye:

İstanbul
İstanbul moves into its most romantic days in the autumn, making it an ideal time for the perfect wedding. Turkish Airlines offers direct flights from Mumbai and Delhi to Istanbul, thereby making it easier to plan weddings in the country. In addition to these direct flights, Turkish (THY), as well as other Airlines, also provide special wedding charter flights from any Indian city for more significant celebrations as well.

A distinctive local touch: Visitors can enjoy a hammam ritual, a beloved tradition stretching from the Ottoman Empire to the present. Most of İstanbul’s upscale hotels offer unique hammam treatments to the bride and her guests on her wedding day. Private hammam rooms are selected for these events, with special touches such as traditional musicians and relaxing Turkish massage therapies.

Bodrum
Bodrum offers Indian couples a romantic wedding set against a backdrop of the turquoise TurkAegean, lush green pine forests, and its famous marina. Bodrum is easily reached by connecting flights from India via Istanbul and direct flights from the capitals of Europe. One can easily arrange direct charter flights to Bodrum from any of the Indian cities for a grand destination wedding. It also offers luxurious stay options for Indian wedding couples. The vast majority of these hotels feature versatile indoor and outdoor event spaces that can accommodate large wedding parties – and, among others, ballrooms, expansive gardens, poolside areas, and beach clubs.A distinctive local touch: Bodrum, the yachting capital of Türkiye, attracts sailing and boating enthusiasts from all over the world. To add a unique local touch to an autumn Bodrum wedding celebration, visitors can book a gulet, the region’s traditional wooden yacht, and enjoy a trip with your guests along the scenic Bodrum Peninsula.

Antalya
As the rising star of destination weddings, Antalya offers a laid-back Mediterranean lifestyle, palatial luxury resorts with legendary hospitality set amidst majestic mountains, golden beaches, and ancient Roman theatres and temples. Antalya too is easily accessible through connecting flights from India via Istanbul. Additionally, Antalya International Airport also welcomes direct private international charter flights from any city of India. Thus, Turkish and other Airlines enable seamless arrival and transport via special private charters, for an exotic destination wedding in Antalya.

A distinctive local touch: Antalya’s rich array of wedding venues includes global and Turkish hotel chains, small boutique hotels, and gigantic luxury resorts. Moreover, Indian weddings are most essentially about a vast food spread and these resorts honour this tradition by providing excellence in culinary and banquet experiences.