We are knee-deep in romance with the annual Destination Weddings & Honeymoons issue, in which we highlight some of the top resorts in the Caribbean, Mexico and North America to say “I do.” If you have not made a commitment to the burgeoning destination weddings market, consider these figures from The Knot Market Intelligence 2012 Destination Weddings Study: 24 percent of all weddings are destination weddings; destination weddings have an average of 86 guests; Florida, California and Nevada are the top three destination wedding locations in the continental U.S., while the Caribbean, Mexico and Hawaii are the most popular wedding locations outside the continental U.S.; most destination weddings last more than three days; and— so you know who to target—the average destination bride is 30 years old.
And if you think a honeymoon is out of the question after the money plunked down on a destination wedding, think again. According to The Knot study, 86 percent of couples still plan to take a honeymoon after their destination wedding. That’s why in this issue we’ve also focused on some of the best honeymoon getaways around the world—from Miami Beach to Morocco. How much money have honeymooners put aside for this most cherished of vacations? According to a survey of travel agents by Allianz Travel Insurance, 67 percent of couples spend $2,500-$5,000, while another 23 percent spend between $5,000 to $10,000, with budget-conscious honeymooners favoring all-inclusive vacations.
correction
In the May issue in the A-ROSA Cruises story (page 20), we noted that rates start at $4,952, but to clarify rates for the A Toast to Provence & Burgundy cruise actually start at $4,749.
E-mail me at [email protected]
Check out our In Focus Q&As with industry movers and shakers on recommend.com. We’ve got interviews with Paul Wiseman, the president of Trafalgar; Frank Cordova, the secretary of tourism for the State of Sinaloa in Mexico; and Timothy Beebe, the vice president of American Cruise Lines, among others.
let’s get social
Hang out with us @Recommendmag and facebook.com/recommendmag. And if you want to see what our editors are up to away from the office, follow them @Paloma_RecMag, @EdWetschler, & @LaneMN.
Want even more 4-1-1 on the destination weddings market? Look out for the June 19th Destination Weddings & Honeymoon-focused Recommend Weekly in your inbox, and look back at the March 2013 issue, which features the Mexico Destination Weddings
& Honeymoon Planner.
agentspeak
“I love Recommend magazine and keep them on file for future reference when needed.”
— Deborah Sarmiento
“We enjoy Recommend and keep every month on file to check whenever we’re looking for something special.”
— Phyllis Dyer
“Recommend magazine—an all-time travel industry favorite.”
— Brenda Irene Klein
“Recommend is a great ‘go to’ source to see what the world has to offer you. It is ‘arm chair’ travel at its best.”
— Mabyn Morgan Travel
“A must-have in the travel business!”
— Carol M. Brown
Responses, opinions and comments are welcome at [email protected] (subject line: Agent Speak). Recommend reserves the right to edit letters submitted to Agent Speak.
