With wedding season just around the corner, Allianz Global Assistance has released an interesting study on how Americans view destination weddings. The company examined sentiment around destination weddings in a recent survey of 1,502 people – here’s what they found.
According to the survey, cost is the main reason that the majority of people (53.6%) would not attend a destination wedding. Other reasons not to attend include: not knowing the couple well enough to justify the cost (17.8%), not knowing the couple well enough to justify taking the time off from work (11.8%), not being able to take the time off (9.7%) and not being interested in the destination (7.1%).
Nearly half of Americans (42.4%) say that the cost of travel may lead them to skip out on a destination wedding, Allianz said. More than a quarter (28.7%) also say cost of travel affects their decision to attend, but they are willing to spend more on the weddings of friends and family, while 19.5 percent say cost does not impact their decision and 9.4 percent would limit their spending on the trip in order to attend.
Others limit their incurred costs by not buying gifts for destination weddings, the study suggests, with 66 percent saying the couple should not expect a gift if hosting a destination wedding.
When asked how they feel about destination weddings or bachelor and bachelorette parties, 35.5 percent do view the events as a chance to take a vacation and see new places, Allianz said. More than a quarter (27.5 percent) find the celebrations costlier to participate in than they would like, but understand the desire to have one.
Overall, however, 73.2 percent of Americans have never attended a destination wedding, and 76 percent have never attended a destination bachelor/bachelorette party.
While destination weddings may be more expensive to attend, they are often cheaper to host, according to TripSavvy statistics cited by Allianz: The average destination wedding costs $28,000, compared to an average cost of $35,291 for a non-destination affair. Half (51.2 percent) of Americans say they would not have a destination wedding. For those who might, the primary reasons include: to honeymoon in the same place (14.1 percent), to check the destination off their bucket list (10.7 percent), to limit the amount of attendees (8.4 percent), to cut costs (6.6 percent), for more desirable weather (4.9 percent) or as a nod to their heritage and family roots (4.1 percent).
Related Stories
Stats: Adventure Tops Family Travel Trends This Year, Says Virtuoso
Stats: Memorial Day Travel Weekend to Be Second-busiest Ever
Stats: Record February for Anguilla Tourism
Stats: Safety Concerns Could Be Dragging Down International Travel