Gujarat Budget 2026-27: Govt bets big on destination wedding tourism

Ahmedabad: The Gujarat govt on Wednesday announced plans to launch a ‘Wed in Gujarat' campaign in the 2026–27 Budget, aiming to position the state as a premier destination for weddings by leveraging its religious heritage, expansive coastline, desert landscape and iconic landmarks.The initiative seeks to market Gujarat as a culturally rich and visually grand venue for destination weddings, curating multiple religious, coastal and heritage circuits under a unified branding strategy. Officials said locations such as Somnath Temple, Dwarkadhish Temple and Ambaji Temple will be promoted alongside marquee attractions like the Statue of Unity, the Rann Utsav and Shivrajpur Beach. The campaign will highlight the state's traditions, hospitality and architectural splendour to attract high-end wedding events from across India and abroad.
However, the issue of liquor prohibition — a longstanding policy in Gujarat — resurfaced during industry discussions around the proposal. While there is no formal move to relax the law, stakeholders contend that the restriction places Gujarat at a disadvantage in the competitive destination wedding market.Travel and hospitality representatives argue that the state continues to lose significant business to destinations such as Goa and Rajasthan, particularly from Gujarati families choosing to host weddings outside the state."Regulated easing of liquor rules in select tourism zones could significantly boost the wedding and hospitality ecosystem. Each year, around 500 destination weddings from Gujarat-based families take place in Rajasthan alone, with budgets reaching up to Rs 3 crore," said Narendra Somani, president of the Hotels and Restaurants' Association (HRA), Gujarat.Tourism players also stressed the need for parallel infrastructure development. "To host weddings of 500 guests or more, adequate resort and hotel capacity is essential. Promotion must go hand in hand with hospitality expansion and a pragmatic review of prohibition norms, similar to the model adopted in GIFT City," said Manish Sharma, former chairperson of the Travel Agents' Federation of India (TAFI), Gujarat chapter.