Page 60 - Masala Weddings in Thailand 2019

THAI INDIAN WEDDING A SSOCIATION

Furthermore, as the Indian wedding industry continues to

flourish, its impact on related sectors is also noteworthy.
For example, a wedding provides guests with the incentive
to visit Thailand, which can pave the way for individuals to
return for solo vacations, family holidays and honeymoons.
The country has also seen an increase in destination
anniversary parties and birthday celebrations, both of which
come without the intricacies of an Indian wedding, and can
therefore be favourable for smaller and more boutique-style
properties that are best suited for intimate get-togethers.

As the Indian wedding sphere continues to expand, the
need for an association to facilitate its growth and aid in
overcoming challenges has never been more essential.
This is where the Thai Indian Wedding Association (TIWA)
comes in. Established in 2015, TIWA was an initiative
spearheaded by Ram Sachdev, Chairman of Masala—a
multi-media platform recognised as the voice of the Thai-
Indian community, who wanted to help provide Thailand’s
promising Indian wedding industry with the direction it
required.

Years later, with the support of the Tourism Authority of
Thailand (TAT), TIWA is now the authoritative voice of
Thailand’s Indian wedding industry, and continues to make
progress in establishing the country as a globally-recognised
destination for Indian weddings, while also continuing to

As a result of all the diverse factors that make Thailand such
a unique destination, the nation has also grown to become a
very sought after locale for Indian weddings. The coastal city
of Hua Hin hosted approximately 160 Indian weddings last
year, making it the nation’s most popular wedding destination
ahead of the capital city of Bangkok. The island of Phuket
was also the backdrop for a number of grand celebrations,
including the #DKNLOVE wedding that took place at the
newly-remodelled Splash Beach Resort and is recognised
as the largest Indian wedding in Thailand’s history. Other
destinations like Rayong, Chiang Mai, Khao Lak and Krabi
were also settings for many unforgettable nuptials in 2018.

Despite a considerable number of these weddings being
local Thai-Indians, the country has now become popular with
couples from neighbouring countries like Singapore, Hong promote, protect and preserve the industry itself.
Kong, Malaysia and Indonesia who are looking to tie the knot These efforts are achieved through a wide-range of means,
in paradise. Moreover, as of last year, Thailand was also host beginning with the association’s function as a database of
to wedding celebrations between brides and grooms from valuable information about the wedding sphere, comprising
far-off destinations like the United Kingdom, South Africa, of statistics, trend analysis and venue and destination
the United Arab Emirates and the United States of America. updates. This information is easily accessible through TIWA’s

This gradual diversification is testament to the fact that as comprehensive website, regular e-newsletters and social
the industry continues to develop in calibre, the more people media channels, as well as the association’s collaboration
will begin to recognise Thailand as a wedding destination with newly-launched MasalaWeds—an all-in-one online
with immeasurable opportunities. platform for planning the perfect Indian wedding.

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