The Power of Destination Weddings: A Valuable Group Business

wedding expertDestination weddings, the fastest growing segment of the travel industry, is a great opportunity for agents to increase their revenue stream. 

Approximately 16 percent couples opt for a destination wedding—a 400 percent increase in the last 10 years—and different estimates put the market value between $3 billion and $5 billion. It has great potential as a source of additional revenue year round.

With a destination wedding, you work with not only the couple, but their friends and family members as well. The average number of guests attending a destination wedding is 16. Some weddings have as many as 100 guests. 

With agents keener than ever to understand this market, these pointers may come in handy:

 

Save the Date

Once the couple has confirmed that your company will handle their destination wedding, prepare a list of all their friends and family members with their e-mail addresses and send out a “save the date” announcement.

Communication

Create a “newsletter” that provides updates to all guests and family members of the wedding party highlighting the seamless booking of a trip through your company and choice of hotels/prices in the selected destination. A description of the destination is a must, plus activities and places of interest. Include weather conditions, passport information, laws, and dos and don’ts.

Partnership

Use your existing partnership with airlines to develop “special” group rates and acquaint yourself with your hotel and destination to get the best rates and accommodation.

Owning the Sales Process

Take control of the booking process: Work with the hotel to coordinate ground transportation for your arriving guests. Include this information in your frequent updates to the wedding guests. Do remember that the planning of a wedding is a stress-filled event for the bride. The more you provide turnkey solutions, the more you control the process.

We will continue on this topic in the next update. In the meantime, e-mail me at [email protected] or visit www.MarryCaribbean.com for more information.

Recommend Service Provider

I recently visited the Palmyra, A Solis Hotel & Resort in Jamaica, a member of the Leading Hotels of the World. It is about a 15-minute drive from the Montego Bay airport.

The hotel is designed to afford great views of the beautiful Caribbean Sea and a pleasant breeze wafts through the lobby. The layout and rooms add to the property’s grandeur. The Gazebo looks out to a 360-degree view of the clear, blue sea. I stood there for a moment, and it felt like paradise. All 299 rooms and villas are fabulously designed and its accommodations for couples, families and friends make it a great hotel to hold a destination wedding.

Their signature spa, ESPA, is over 30,000 square feet and has 14 treatment rooms. Contact the charming and hospitable Cheryl Kasprzycki (011-203-287-1236, [email protected]) for details.