Sri Lanka new hotspot for Indian weddings in 2025; industry sees limited West Asia crisis impact in 2026

New Delhi: Sri Lanka has emerged as the fastest-growing destination for Indian weddings abroad in 2025, with a 25 per cent rise in popularity, and despite challenges posed by the ongoing West Asia crisis, couples are unlikely to cut down plans for their big occasion this year, according to a report.

Accessibility, proximity to India, luxury hospitality infrastructure, and experience-led celebrations have propelled Sri Lanka as a fast-emerging destination wedding centre, WedMeGood, a leading wedding planning platform, said in its Destination Wedding Report 2026.

Indian wedding bookings to Sri Lanka are projected to grow 20-25 per cent annually over the next few years, as per the report.


Shangri-La (Hambantota), Shangri-La (Colombo), Amaya Hills (Kandy), The Grand Hotel (Nuwara Eliya), and Jetwing Lagoon (Negombo) were the top-booked properties in Sri Lanka in 2025, as per the report.

Thailand, though, remained the most popular destination with close to 25 lakh arrivals in 2025, registering a 16 per cent increase year-on-year.

In 2025, one in every four weddings surveyed were destination events, and the number is expected to go up to 30-32 per cent by 2028, it said.

The report was based on findings from a survey distributed across both WedMeGood's consumer and industry networks. About 2.5 lakh B2C users and around 24,000 wedding industry professionals/vendors were surveyed.

Wedding budgets, too, rose during 2025. As per the report, domestic destination wedding budgets grew to an average of Rs 58 lakh, while international destination wedding budgets averaged around Rs 1.5 crore.

Destination weddings now average 3.2 days, compared to 1.8 days pre-2020, while there has been a visible shift towards Indian cuisines even at international destinations.

Cheranka Mendis, Area Director of Communications for Shangri-La Colombo and Shangri-La Hambantota, told PTI, "At Shangri-La's luxury hotels in Sri Lanka, we're seeing the country move from being an emerging alternative to becoming a serious short-haul luxury wedding destination for Indian couples".

"As reported by Sri Lanka's Tourism Development Authority, India remains Sri Lanka's largest source market, with Indian arrivals growing from 302,844 in 2023 to 416,974 in 2024, and further to 530,000+ in 2025."

Apart from Sri Lanka and Thailand, Bali in Indonesia, Vietnam, and Malaysia were the top international destinations for weddings, according to WedMeGood.

In Europe, Italy, France, Greece, Spain, and Portugal were the most-favoured nations for Indian couples to have their big event.

In India, Dehradun, Mussoorie, Rishikesh, Shimla, and Jim Corbett were the top-5 destinations for weddings, followed by Udaipur, Jaipur, Jaisalmer, Jodhpur, and Goa.

International travel took a hit following the US and Israel's attack on Iran on February 28 and the retaliatory strikes that followed. Airlines, impacted by longer routes and surging aviation turbine fuel (ATF) rates, hiked fares, further denting travel.

However, experts said, couples will continue to travel abroad despite these headwinds, with some alterations in plans.

"The ongoing uncertainties in West Asia have prompted many Indian families and wedding planners to reassess destination choices.

"While West Asia has traditionally been an attractive market for Indian destination weddings, concerns around regional stability have shifted conversations towards destinations that offer greater certainty, easier logistics and a seamless guest experience," Shashank Gupta, Chief Dreamer & Nurturer, TailorMade Experiences -- a luxury wedding consulting and experience design company -- told PTI.

"While there is no consolidated industry data yet on the number of weddings that have shifted from the Middle East, we are witnessing a clear increase in enquiries and site visits from Indian families evaluating Sri Lanka as an alternative," Gupta added.

On the findings of the report, Mehak Shahani, Co-Founder, WedMeGood, said, "Indian weddings are undergoing a transformation. Couples today are investing not just in celebrations, but in creating meaningful experiences that bring family and friends together. Wedding budgets continue to evolve alongside these expectations".