Honeymoon Destinations Go Exotic

As the typical wedding budget expands, so do the expectations for the honeymoon that follows and that has translated into a rise in demand for honeymoons in more exotic destinations.

It all adds up to an increasingly lucrative niche for travel agents and other travel firms specializing in the market.

Eric Kareus, director of sales for Denver-based Asia Transpacific Journeys, said his company has seen a rise in demand for honeymoons to far-flung locales along with longer post-wedding trips—sometimes as long as three or four weeks—and more multi-destination itineraries.

“It’s not just hanging out at the beach,” said Kareus.  “We’re seeing more couples asking for an adventure component, like trekking in the Himalayas or deep sea diving.”   

The Asia-Pacific region has grown in popularity, in part because it’s perceived as a good value, especially in the luxury segment that most honeymooners aspire to, according to Kareus.

Champagne tastes, beer budget
“Younger people usually come to us with champagne tastes on a beer budget, and we can accommodate that,” he said.
He’s also noticing an in older couples, perhaps on their second marriage, “who have the means to really take that trip of a lifetime.” 

Kareus said the biggest single variable is the hotel, adding that the range for the upscale properties he uses in this category range from around $400 a night for a five-star hotel in a major city like Bangkok to ultra-secluded luxury resorts where the nightly tab could be $3,000 or more.  

All this dovetails with the move toward smaller, more exclusive ceremonies, where the guest lists may be shrinking but the total tab definitely is not.

Smaller weddings
According to the latest study on annual wedding trends from The Knot website, the average wedding budget in 2014 rose to $31,000 from $28,000 just two years ago, while the total wedding party declined to 136, from 149 in 2009.

In the U.S., an estimated two million couples tie the knot each year, and fully 90% of them take some sort of honeymoon trip.

The typical honeymoon package costs nearly $5,000 on average, but that number can be misleading as it includes everything from a week in Mexico (the number one destination in this category) to an ultra-luxurious jaunt on a private yacht.

Rise of exotic destinations
Pamela Sigler, a Chicago-based agent with Andrew Harper Travel, has witnessed the rise in lavish honeymoons.

She said trips booked by her agency run about $1,800 to $2,200 per day for seven to ten days,  not including air fare.

“We do get couples who want to spend their honeymoon on safari,” she said, “but they’d usually combine that with a week in the Seychelles or the Maldives islands.”

Top sellers are Bora Bora and its Four Seasons resort, and Amanresorts’ properties in Asia and elsewhere. Africa is another choice for those going off the beaten path.

Working with specialists
For more exotic trips, working with a specialist is critical, according to some agents.

“I usually work with tour operators, because they have longstanding relationships with the hotels, the ground operators, and I can get my clients better rates and amenities,” said Sarah Bush, an Ann Arbor, Mich.-based travel agent with D. Tours Travel of Larchmont, N.Y.  

Bush, who specializes in honeymoon trips to the South Pacific, singled out Fiji as a popular honeymoon location because most of the deluxe properties there are smaller and more secluded.

Fiji trips cost from between $10,000 and $14,000 for a nine-night stay including air fare.  

Bush recommends one boutique property on the island has a staff of more than 100 to cater to just 44 guests.  

“They will give you pretty much everything you want,” she said, “if you want a bottle of champagne in a tree at three in the morning, they will bring it to  you.”

Word of mouth
This type of business relies heavily on word-of-mouth and personal referrals, which can take time to nurture.  

Bush, who is in her mid-twenties, said she started from a ready-made base of potential clients; many of her friends were heading to the altar and turned to her for advice.  She attends bridal shows and keeps up with the wedding planning crowd.

Also fueling demand for exotic honeymoons are longer engagements, partly due to the advance notice often required for desirable venues.

“I’ve got honeymoons in my files that are for weddings in 2016, even 2017,” said Bush.  

Longer trips
With such a long build-up, “people don’t want to go away for just a week,” said Kareus. “You need at least two weeks because you’ll spend the first part just recovering.”

Kareus’ bestselling honeymoon destinations are Thailand, Indonesia and India. The Indian subcontinent in particular is getting a lot of interest, because of the growth in high-end coastal resorts.

“It’s a unique combination; you can stay in some of the Heritage hotels, like the Lake Palace, and then trek in the lower Himalayas or take the train down south and stay at luxury Ayurveda resort.”

And with tourism returning to Kashmir, some clients are booking a stay on a houseboat on Kashmir’s Lake Dal, with the Himalayas as a backdrop  —  once considered one of the most romantic settings for a honeymoon  —  but off limits for many years.