19 AUGUST2022million. These figures have remained stable across various years as well. Now, it is crucial to keep in mind that these figures are weaving a tale of the pre-COVID days. Even without using facts and figures, it was easy to see, even for the common man, that the hospitality, tourism, and wedding industry had suffered a major setback. Due to the various lockdowns placed, it was impossible for people to travel domestically or internationally for any given reason. While this was a smart decision made, it cut down on the national and the domestic GDP as the tourism industry was at a standstill. Just a few months after the pandemic hit, when surveyed in July 2020, about a quarter of hoteliers expressed their concerns. Their concerns centered around the reopening of tourism, and if their business would be able to survive the lockdowns. Even tech giants like MakeMyTrip suffered major losses. Their business went down by $500 million. It was concluded that even industry stalwarts were having a hard time staying above water. In 2020, after the imposition of the lockdown, hotel occupancy rates were at an all-time low of about 15 percent, but towards the end of the year, these rates were slowly climbing up due to the availability of the vaccine and the lifting of the travel restrictions. According to the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, a detailed report was released on 17 June 2021, that breaks down the contribution of various industries to the national income. One would think that the petroleum or oil industry would be the top contributors, but it is actually the service industry that is the largest sector in India. The Gross Value Added by the service sector at current prices is estimated at approximately Rs. 96.54 lakh crore in 2020-21. The services sector accounts for 53.89 percent of India's complete GVA of Rs. 179.15 lakh crore. With GVA of Rs. 46.44 lakh crore, the Industry sector contributes 25.92 percent. The wedding industry is also a part of the services industry. At this point it is really difficult to break down the true value of all the subsections in the service industry, it can be observed that the wedding industry is contributing a lot to the GVA due to the international wedding tourists and destination wedding tourists it attracts from various parts of the country. Industry insiders like myself, predict that the wedding industry will soon climb the ranks and take over the first position in the services sector that contributes to the GVA. The second most important industry in India is related to petroleum. This sector employs a lot of people, and the value of the invested stocks keeps increasing at a steady pace. But many economists, as well as environmentalists, predict that this petroleum boom is bound to die down sooner or later as it is a finite resource. As mentioned above, the wedding industry is soon going to take over the top spot of the service sector. Therefore, it is also highly likely that it can take over the petroleum industry in a very short time period. Government assistance in order to promote the Indian wedding industry and subsequent tourism attached to it is a possibility many wedding planners can assume. Other major oil-producing nations like Saudi Arabia and Dubai have also started to shift focus from petroleum to tourism as well as marketing their country as a viable wedding destination. It is high time that we, as a developing country with rich heritage and gorgeous venues, should start expanding our horizons. It is true that the covid pandemic had an adverse effect on the wedding and the tourism industry. However, ever since the lockdowns have eased, and the travel bands have slowly lifted, and the amount of people getting vaccinated is steadily on the rise, many are starting to resume travel. The wedding and the tourism industry is starting off with full steam. Hotel room occupancy rates are on the rise. Booking sites have also been making a huge profit. From an industry insider's point of view, I can see that many global citizens are willing to get married in India, thereby boosting our GDP and income. As the scope of importance and influence for the wedding industry increases, it is well on its way to becoming one of the nation's top leading industries. With continued support from the government and a consistent client base who appreciate the magic of weddings, it will be a matter of years before we as an industry emerge on top. Wedding Tourism is more than just the wedding industry, though it plays a valuable role in boosting the tourism numbers in India. This is a socio-cultural phenomena that encompasses people's economic and everyday lives. There are a few key elements of tour-ism, being known as the 5 A's: Access, Accommoda-tion, Attractions, Activities, and Amenities. Tourism is not just an industry for the elite - it's about the changes that you want to make and see in this part of the ser-vice industry. Through trials and triumphs, the tourism industry has the potential to grow exponentially in or-der to support the aspirations of many aiming to make a living on this industry's basis.
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