Crete targets India’s wedding market after hosting top travel agents
Crete is working to attract Indian tourists and host Indian weddings, a market worth an estimated $130 billion a year, after hosting leading Indian travel agents on the island, according to Pepi Birliraki, vice president of the Rethymno Hoteliers Association.
“We are very interested in the Indian market, and with the cooperation of the Region of Crete and the Greek-Indian Chamber, we have hosted some of the most important agents, who were shown around various areas of Crete and understood that this is a destination that can be visited 12 months a year,” Birliraki told Patris.
She said the effort would intensify once the new airport at Kastelli becomes operational, and noted that an increase in visitors from India has already been recorded, with some Indian weddings also taking place on the island. Birliraki described Indian travelers as a market seeking high-level hospitality, interested in excursions and sightseeing, and willing to spend significant sums across multiple trips to different destinations throughout the year. She added that these travelers favor off-season trips and show particular respect and admiration for Greek culture.
India’s $130 billion wedding market
According to 2024 data from Jefferies, India’s wedding market reaches about $130 billion annually, ranking second worldwide after China. Weddings represent one of the largest consumer spending categories in the country, often exceeding education expenditure, as families invest a substantial share of their savings and income in jewelry, clothing and lavish celebrations.
Indian weddings typically involve large numbers of guests, last three to four days, and include multiple events on the same day, high-end accommodation, elaborate decoration and high-specification catering. While the traditional wedding season runs from October to April, demand is increasingly spreading across the year through pre-wedding trips, themed parties and formal dinners.
Within this market, Crete offers a setting that combines places to stay at a high standard, scenic landscapes, cultural heritage and hospitality, which organizers say can meet the demanding standards, long duration and multi-day schedule of Indian celebrations.
An Indian wedding in Rethymno
One such wedding took place at the Theartemis Palace hotel in Rethymno, for a couple named Mike and Shaista. Hotel manager Giorgos Schoinarakis, who provided photographs and video to Patris, said the hotel hosted “a special Indian wedding, turning the celebration of the union of two people into a unique experience full of colors, traditions, striking costumes, music, dance and strong emotions.”
Schoinarakis described it as “a special meeting of cultures, where the magic of Indian wedding customs blended harmoniously with the Mediterranean beauty and the warm hospitality of Crete.” He said the choice of Crete as a wedding destination is not accidental, citing the island’s natural landscape, beaches, mild Mediterranean climate, cultural heritage, gastronomy and the hospitality of its people as factors that create the conditions for a memorable event.
He added that for couples traveling from around the world, Crete offers more than a wedding setting, providing a complete experience of vacation, culture and genuine emotion for them and their guests.
