Wedding bells ring louder as COVID cases dip

Caterers, tent house suppliers and function hall owners see sizeable uptick in business

A sharp dip in COVID-19 cases, disappearance of fear of the disease and the wedding season of the Maga maasam have given a much-needed boost to the hospitality sector in the city. As dozens of weddings are taking place every day, there is a distinct sense of happiness in the voices of caterers, tent house owners and wedding venue owners.

“Business was grim over the past two years. We almost wrote off this season but there is a surge in orders,” says Rakesh, who runs RK Catering aimed at large weddings.

While the COVID-19 protocol dictated limiting the number of guests, the dip in cases is seeing full houses. “For two years, if there was an order for 50 guests, only 50 would turn up. And some of them used to leave without having food. Now it is different. We are seeing much higher numbers. It is good for our business,” says Rakesh.

Tent house suppliers are also happy with the way business has rebounded after the third-wave fear. “Our business went down during the two waves of COVID-19, but it is back to normal business as the cases have come down. Nobody is even wearing masks anymore,” says Rajesh Mungantiwar, who runs Ayyappa Tent House.

Marriage season brings big business with card printers, wedding planners, flower suppliers, tent house owners, caterers, hotels and function halls each getting a share of the pie. A dip in the number of invitations impacted even card printers who have their offices in Chatta Bazaar, General Bazar and Afzalgunj. While 400-700 cards were printed earlier, the number had dropped to 100, hurting their business.

The Economic Survey had noted the recovery in hospitality sector before the Omicron wave began to roil the industry: “Hotel occupancy rate has recovered substantially, reaching 56-58% in October 2021, from 30-32% in April 2021”. It projected a growth of 8.2%, adding that the third wave of COVID-19 added a “degree of uncertainty for near term, especially in segments that require human contact”.

A drive through the city’s Inner Ring Road or Mud Fort area in Secunderabad shows how the wedding season has changed from the time only a few masked guests would turn up to one where people are seen jostling to enter function halls.