Engagement in Singapore, sangeet in Pattaya and wedding on Genting Island… The big fat Indian wedding is headed towards southeast Asia.

From being the hotspots for tourists and honeymooners from across India, the exotic locales in Singapore and Thailand are fast becoming favourite venues for weddings.

“The palaces in Rajasthan are making way for resorts and parks in Phuket, Pattaya and Bangkok,” says wedding planner Vinod Bhandari of Winning Edge. Bhandari has organised three weddings in Phuket and Pattaya in the last season and has a lot of queries pouring in for the next.

Waking up to the potential of the Indian marriage market, the Singapore Tourism Board has swung into action, portraying the island state as a sought-after marriage destination, promoting places like Jurong Bird Park, Orchid Garden and Sentosa Island to those planning to tie the knot abroad.

“We have resorts with private beaches and the infrastructure to handle all aspects of Indian weddings efficiently,” Kenneth Lim, the area director of the Singapore Tourism Board told Metro. “Moreover, southeast Asian countries are so well connected with Calcutta that wedding parties do not face any problem travelling there and back.”

Also, flying in friends and relatives and putting them up in resorts “no longer costs a fortune”, said tour agents.

“Marriages in Bangkok, Pattaya, Singapore and Karbi work out better economically, than exotic destinations in Rajasthan. For example, the return fare to Jaipur might go up to Rs 14,000, while we can arrange the return air fare and visa charges for southeast Asian countries for much less. Block bookings get huge discounts,” said Anil Punjabi, the chairman (east) of Travel Agents Federation of India.

Accommodation is another factor that may burn holes in the hosts’ pockets. The marriage seasons are the peak time for star hotels, with room rates ranging from Rs 10,000 to Rs 15,000.

Add other expenses like food, transportation and sight-seeing, and the bill per head shoots up to Rs 60,000. “Resorts in Singapore can house three people for that amount,” pointed out Punjabi.