Chinese celebrities fuelling a luxury wedding boom in Bali
Bali has become a sought-after wedding destination after several high-profile nuptials by mainland and Taiwanese celebrities
Magnificent sunshine, pure blue sky, exquisite villas overlooking the turquoise Indian Ocean – it is easy to figure out why Bali has become a favourite wedding destination for China’s A-list celebrities.
Yet, in a surprising twist, the island’s luxury resorts have also become popular with middle class Chinese couples who’ve taken an interest in Bali as a destination for their own weddings.
In fact, demand is such the island no longer has an “off season” as such, a period when business is particularly slack, according to luxury resort operators.
“We recently went to visit some ultra-luxury hotels in Bali. It was not peak season but the most expensive hotels there were 70 to 80 per cent full due to weddings,” Lily Dawis, a director at developer PT Bali Ragawisata, told the Post in an interview.
“Chinese travellers tend to choose the best ... the Bulgari hotel hosts weddings almost every day,” she added, referring to the Italian fashion label’s namesake resort in Bali. The hotel has recently emerged as a magnet for wedding parties and honeymoons, despite a night’s stay at its one-bedroom villa in April costing US$1,208, according to travel booking site Booking.com.