Punjab taps reVenue from weddinGs

In this marriage season, “migratory birds” (NRIs) from Canada and the US are coming to attend big, fat weddings in Punjab. During this season, many rich families go for destination marriages, either abroad or in old forts and serais (inns) in Rajasthan, where these have been converted into heritage resorts and hotels.

To tap revenue from Punjab’s wedding season and also to create extraordinary venues within the state, Tourism and Culture Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu has laid out a new tourism roadmap.

Speaking to The Sunday Guardian, Sidhu said that “we have taken measures to make tourism selfdependent. All three Mughal serais in Punjab are being developed as wedding circuit…Punjabis will now be able to organise lavish weddings at the serais like the ones held at Rajasthan palaces.”

“We are also working on developing a Sufi circuit, Amritsar circuit and old haveli culture,” he said.

According to him, 20 hotels of the Punjab Tourism Department, which were closed, are now being revived. We are trying to rope in big business houses in the hospitality sector to run these hotels and give a part of the income to the state.

The Baba Ala Singh Qila Mubarak was being given a major facelift for Rs 25 crore and is being converted into a boutique hotel with five-star facilities. The state government has also decided to register all dhabas for quality control to provide hygienic food to the tourists.