Weddings and Honeymoons Abroad - UK - January 2006

Table of Contents

• Introduction and Abbreviations
• Definitions
• Secondary research
• Consumer research
• Lifestage and Special Groups
• ACORN
• Abbreviations
• Summary of Key Report Findings
• Weddings abroad soar in popularity
• Consumers are equivocal on marrying abroad, definite about honeymooning
• Fewer weddings overall, but a higher share abroad
• Honeymoons more lucrative than weddings
• Average spend driven up by long-haul choice
• Short-haul market restricted by local laws
• Cyprus, the Caribbean and North America best developed destinations
• Major tour operators exert grip on WHA market
• Changing consumer bases for WHA
• A totally new market for 2006: gay partnership celebrations
• Potential for renewals and luxury marriages
• Improved outlook for Weddings market
• Market Factors
• The economy
  • Figure 1: Personal disposable income and consumer expenditure, 2000-10
• Population factors: age and gender
  • Figure 2: Age structure of the UK population, by gender, 2000-10
• Population factors: lifestage
  • Figure 3: The adult population, by lifestage, 2000-10
• Population factors: socio-economic groups
  • Figure 4: Forecast adult population trends, by socio-economic group, 2000-10
• Marriage trends
  • Figure 5: UK marriages and divorces, 1993-2003
• Marriage by age
  • Figure 6: Mean age for first marriages and remarriages in England and Wales, by gender, 1998-2004
  • Figure 7: Number of UK marriages, by age of female, 2000-05
• Civil unions
• Broader holiday market factors
  • Figure 8: Overseas holidays and expenditure, 2000-05
• International factors
  • Figure 9: Annual average exchange rate for Sterling against the US Dollar and the euro, 2000-05
• Market Size and Trends
  • Figure 10: Number of weddings in UK and abroad, 2000-05
• Expenditure on WHA
  • Figure 11: Estimated value of the weddings abroad market, 2000-05
• Honeymoon expenditure
• Market Segmentation
• Breakdown of WHA costs
  • Figure 12: Estimated breakdown of expenditure on weddings abroad, 2005
• The wedding/honeymoon package
• Variable destination costs
• Honeymoon destinations
  • Figure 13: Ideal destination for a honeymoon, 2005
• Renewal of vows
• Single-sex ceremonies
• The Supply Structure
• Tour operators
• Leading operators
  • Figure 14: Largest air tour operating groups by number of passengers authorised, 2005
• TUI UK/Thomson
• Thomas Cook Group
• First Choice Holidays
• MyTravel
• Cosmos
• Other tour operators
• Sandals
• SuperClubs
• Couples
• Luxury hotel groups
• Travel agents
• Destination countries
• The Caribbean
• Cyprus and Greece
• Indian Ocean
• North and Central America
• Other destination countries
• Distribution and Marketing
• Agent, Operator and Hotel Initiatives
• Magazines and exhibitions
• The Consumer
  • Figure 15: Personal circumstances regarding getting married, October 2005
• Major attitudes towards marriage by demographic analysis
  • Figure 16: Most popular personal circumstances regarding getting married, by demographic sub-group, October 2005
  • Figure 17: Most popular personal circumstances regarding getting married, by region and ACORN categories, October 2005
  • Figure 18: Most popular personal circumstances regarding getting married, by detailed lifestage groups, October 2005
  • Figure 19: Most popular personal circumstances regarding getting married, by daily and Sunday newspaper readership, supermarket preferred and commercial TV viewing, October 2005
• The Future
• Gay weddings and honeymoons
• Positive factors for the traditional market
• Big question: will France and Spain loosen up?
• Glamour and conspicuous spending...
• ...and celebrity influences
• Travel industry can do more
• Forecast
• A slow decline in the number of marriages
  • Figure 42: Estimated number of weddings in the UK and abroad, 2005-10
  • Figure 43: Forecast of the expenditure on the UK market for weddings and honeymoons abroad, 2005-10
• Factors used in the forecast