Issues and Challenges Related to the Wedding Tourism Development in Sri Lanka

Abstract

Wedding Tourism, as an authentic and looming part of the tourism industry, is sensations that have taken off universally in recent years and which is becoming prevalent, especially for small islands. Therefore, the research into the wedding tourism industry in Sri Lanka has great significance. The prime objective of this study is to find out the issues and challenges faced by wedding tourism industry people in Sri Lanka. In addition to that the study investigates the satisfaction level of the wedding tourists. A mixed method approach was used comprising questionnaires, that were given to 45 tourist couples who visited Sri Lanka to identify the level of satisfaction they have on the wedding package and semi-structured interviews were conducted with 5 different hotels and 5 travel agents in relation to identify the issues and challenges. The study identified that Sri Lanka has a booming demand as a wedding destination and few issues and challenges facing by industry while promoting wedding tourism. That identified main issues and challenges are limited budget of the foreign couples, competition with the highly established wedding and honeymoon destinations, heavy documentations and lack of government supports and their inappropriate rules, regulations and taxes etc. The findings revealed that wedding tourists are satisfied with the cost of wedding package, behavior and attitude of the industry employee, specialized services, and wedding location and theme. Finally, the destination managers should better understand travel motivations of tourists and their satisfaction before developing packages, marketing and promotional strategies.