In an effort to save money and time, Italian newlyweds are looking to group travel.
In Italy, many couples get married in spring (May to June), or in September, having their honeymoon shortly thereafter.
Simona Battani, Sales Director for the Italian Market at Tourvest DMC, said a trend in Italy was to register with a travel agent, where wedding guests could then contribute to their destination honeymoon, instead of contributing to the usual wedding gifts.
“The travel agent keeps the money for the couple, until they ask how much they have and where this can take them.” Honeymooners do not always get to choose their own destination. Out of the funds they receive from their wedding registry, the agent will then notify them which destinations they can visit, said Battani.
Paola Catinella, Operations Director at Tourvest DMC said honeymooners from Italy were mainly first-time travellers, or did not have much spare time to travel outside Europe, therefore they opted to go on scheduled guided tours, such as Tourvest Destination Management’s TIRC tour in South Africa, where everything was included, and the guide was there to assist with any and all travel needs.
She said due to the fact that scheduled guided tours often had set departure dates, it worked out that more than one Italian honeymooning couple would be on the same tour.
Sarah Clark, General Manager for Topdeck Travel said: “For couples, it’s a great way to focus less on logistics and more on spending quality time with each other, hassle-free,” as reported by Brit+Co.
“Couples can enjoy days to themselves but also have the built-in knowledge of a trip leader and social aspect of the group when they want,” said Clark.
On these tours, Tourvest DMC consultants will send rooming lists ahead to properties, to alert hotels and guest houses that some of the couples are on honeymoon. Many of these establishments will do a romantic turndown for the guests.
“Because more than one couple are on the same tour, couples often compare notes the following day on what kind of turndown they received at the hotels. If one couple gets something the other didn’t, the latter will probably complain,” mentioned Catinella.
“However, it should be noted that the honeymoon market in Italy is one of the biggest. It is essentially the key driver behind travel agents in Italy, and it will become more and more important for SA to up its game regarding honeymoon travel. Island destinations, and many in Europe are light years ahead with what they can do for honeymoon couples,” said Catinella, who added that at these destinations, romantic turndowns and honeymoon room drops were common, as well as 50% discount on spa vouchers for couples/brides, and exclusive beachfront dinners.
Lisa Bigoni, Account Supervisor at AIGO – marketing and communications agency in Milan, specialising in tourism, travel and hospitality, said most Italians travelling to Mauritius were couples and honeymooners who bought tour operator packages through travel agencies.
As confirmed by travel agencies in a survey launched by TTG Italia this year, besides the fall in clients’ budgets due to the current economic climate, the honeymoon segment continues to soar and remain a significant business tool for the tourism sector.
