WeddingMoon Trend Tune-Up for 2024

Love endures… and so does romance travel!

Today let’s talk about continued opportunities abound in the Romance Travel sector, specifically the shifting trends on the wedding and honeymoon markets.  

There’s a recent study conducted by The Knot. They talked to over 25,000 people from all over the world, and whereas the macro trends stay familiar, the micro trends for the upcoming generations are worth noting to maximize your business in this niche.

In this edition, we’re going to give you the highlights PLUS how you can use this info to close more business. 

Let’s Get To The Highlights: 

• While couples still embrace traditions, they’re also finding new ways to highlight their individuality.

• Gen Z couples are personalizing their weddings to “represent what is authentic to them” and buck traditions from past generations. 
  
  
• Around the world, increasingly popular new wedding practices include throwing music festival-esque “wedding fests,” incorporating pets into ceremonies, and getting matching tattoos. 

• Couples are also waiting longer to get married, especially in Western Europe, where the average age of marriage is around 35–36.

• The “guest experience” has also been an increasingly important area of focus for couples planning a wedding. Things like favors are playing a bigger role, adding that guests are willing to spend more traveling to weddings than they were pre-Covid…people are really hungry for gathering, and coming together. 

• Gen Z is arguably the most tech-savvy generation. This is a generation that has grown up with phones in their hands. They have been on social media for many years. Their expectations when it comes to technology are high. More than half of couples video chatted with vendors, an increase of 35 percentage points vs. 2019.

• October was the top wedding month in the US for the sixth consecutive year.

Lots of good stuff there. Next, how this info will help you drive more business. 

Breaking Down the Trends

Let’s start with why we are even spending time talking about wedding trends. 

For starters, weddings lead to honeymoons and other romance getaways. 

Understand where the wedding market is going, and you’ll have the advantage when it comes to booking honeymoons. 

Two, get a client for their honeymoon and there’s a good chance you can have a repeat customer for many more vacations down the road. 

Back to the trends. The first thing jumping out to me is the need for individuality. 

Not only are people looking for this when they get married. This shift is something we have seen in travel trends as well. In fact, we covered this in past PRO Tips. 

This new generation of travelers is looking for different adventures. Different destinations. And if you understand this shift, you will do a better job connecting to your honeymoon prospects. 

Staying on this new generation of travelers for another minute we know they are big into technology. No surprise there. 

But they are also going to expect their travel advisors to be connected and wired in. That means using new tools like TheSOURCE superapp will help you stand out. 

Also, keep in mind customer service. Gen Z expects a lot of it so be prepared to respond quickly or you’re going to lose out. 

Let’s hit guest experience. 

Couples are now taking more time and energy to plan and create a memorable experience. 

Ok…that tells me these wedding couples would also be interested in experiences on their honeymoon. This opens the door to add-on adventures and excursions. In other words, this is your chance to plus up a honeymoon package. Think adding on tours, excursions, and other in-destination activities. 

Average Age

The average age when people are getting married is also interesting. The takeaway here is people in their mid-thirties have got some dollars to spend. So don’t be shy about presenting them with higher-end options. 

Finally, October is a leading month for weddings in the U.S. In many parts of the world…October is off-season travel. So, a couple can have their dollar go a lot farther in low season. 

Use this to create content!

These trends provide the fuel to create a boatload of content for anyone looking to grow their weddings and honeymoon business. 

Here are some thought starters to consider: 

• Take the key findings from The Knot study and post them on your website. 
• Send out emails of new and different honeymoon destinations. 
• Create a sample honeymoon experience and email prospects.
• Plan out the timing of your campaign. December is still the leading month when most couples get engaged, so have your messaging ready to go in January. 
• Focus your messaging on selling the road less traveled. In other words, provide ideas your clients may not have even considered. Remember they are looking for new places. 

Lots of good info in this one. Use it to get more romance travel business. Ok, that’s all for now. Have an amazing rest of your day! If you enjoyed this read, take a minute to share with other like-minded sellers.

PS:  We Have our Romance Virtual Travel Xpo in October, make sure to register when you see the invite.