WEDDINGS AND HONEYMOONS
WEDDINGS AND HONEYMOONS
Top Selling Tips... • Sell up…
“An airport lounge is the perfect way to start any holiday. The small amount a lounge costs can really add to a pre-wedding experience”
JASON HANDLE Head of Commercial,
HolidayExtras.com
• Boys Allowed… “Include the bridegroom in the wedding plans. We’ve seen a growing level of involvement from men in every aspect of the wedding”
ASHLEY PIGGOTT Conference Services and Catering Manager, Fairmont Royal York, Toronto.
JEAN MARC FLAMBERT Marketing Director UK and Europe Saint Lucia Tourist Board
“We’ve seen a significant growth in wedding and honeymoon bookings for the first quarter of 2012 versus the same period in 2011. Support from our key tour operators, the investment in the UK market by our hotel partners, the uplift and flexibility of flights to the island and our ‘Made for Romance’ marketing campaign launched in the autumn of 2011 have all significantly contributed to the increase in bookings in this market. "In addition, earlier this year, we launched our online wedding gift converter (
www.saintlucianow.co. uk/weddinggifts), which details the kinds of experiences available on island for the price of more traditional wedding gifts in the UK.”
From The Front Line LEIJA GRAF
Chief Executive Select Collection “An increasing number of
men are now booking the honeymoon, so we’ve introduced a new ‘groom service’ to assist them. "Many grooms increasingly challenge the traditional concepts of luxury and
50 September 2012 •
www.sellinglonghaul.com
exclusivity – they’re looking for a honeymoon that will fulfil their wildest dreams, combining the extreme and the extravagant. Many leave it until the last minute to book, often as a surprise for their wife.”
MARK DUGUID Head of Market Management, Kuoni “Weddings and
honeymoons to Saint Lucia are our most popular holiday requests. "The offer on island, for all budgets, is
exceptional with the choice of properties and particularly with a daily flight schedule – we’ve seen a lot of wedding parties using this to their advantage. McFly’s Harry Judd popped the question on the island, and that has helped keep Saint Lucia front of mind.”
EMMA MITCHELL Product Executive Hayes and Jarvis “We recommend Kenya
because of the variety of options at exceptional value, including barefoot beachfront ceremonies and exchanges of vows in the heart of the African bush. "Governors' Camp in the Masai Mara, setting for much of the BBC's Big Cat Diary series, is a popular choice with our
customers who love the secluded wedding location on the banks of the Mara River.”
MARIA FOXWELL Travel Counsellor, Bath “I tell couples about the Travel Counsellors’
honeymoon gift registry service, where friends and family can contribute – 95% of my clients use
it.New York has become more popular in the past two years for weddings and honeymoons – particularly civil partnership honeymoons – and can be combined with Miami, Bermuda or the Caribbean.”
Room Report Antigua’s new hotel, Ketone Beach, has a Destination Wedding Package, costing $1,000, which includes taxi service for collection of documents, fees, certificate, cake, wine and bouquet. Recently rebranded LUX Resorts has
introduced a Do It My Way wedding package at its Indian Ocean properties, allowing couples to hand-pick their bouquet flowers or decorate the cake.
• Panda to them… “For time-restricted honeymooners, suggest a ‘panda weekend’, flying on Etihad’s new route to Chengdu for a four-day break to Chengdu Panda Reserve, leading in at £995pp”
STUARTWHITTINGTON Head of Product and Commercial Wendy Wu Tours
• Two’s company… “Suggest a two-centre, which is becoming increasingly popular, such as Las Vegas combined with a ranch in Arizona”
DAVID POINTER Head of Product, Western & Oriental
Above, main picture: Rendezvous in Saint Lucia with an Indian wedding in Miami and letting them eat cake with Sandals
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