Couples from all over the world dream of sea and sun in the “frame of their life”
Travel to destination “wedding”
Greek islands and tourism gain share from a market that is growing fast
globally
By CHRISTINA POUTETSI
Sun and sea brought over 17.5 million visitors this year to the country. Many,
however, have come also because they want the beautiful landscape of Greece in
their wedding frame. It is a dynamically developing tourism product over the
recent years, with Santorini in the “leading role”. Weddings with a destination as
a point of reference are a worldwide fast growing market, starting from the
Caribbean and Hawaii, decades ago. In Greece, weddings of foreign tourists
started within the context of a romantic trip, but recently with the “opening” of
emerging markets, they have acquired the characteristics of an economic
phenomenon and catch the attention of the industry surrounding them.
About 860 marriages have taken place in Santorini this year by the end of
October, according to the Registry of Thira, says the director of «Weddings in
Greece by Heliotopos» Ms Lila Konstantinidis, highlighting the dramatic
increase in the recent years. “Similar or even multiple times more is the number
of “symbolic ceremonies” that are happening too”, she adds, pointing out that
apart from the summer months, weddings continue to take place throughout the
year. Being one of the “pioneers” of this product in Santorini, this year she
organized the biggest number of weddings for Chinese tourists on the island,
having ceremonies scheduled for Christmas as well. She explains that, a couple
chooses to have a destination wedding “having in mind their desired wedding
destination and not the city they live or come from”. At the same time, the
ceremony takes place along with the honeymoon, so it adds no further cost,
guests are fewer, hence the budget is leaner, and “it is something to talk about
for years”.
Most couples come from Britain and the US, says Ms. Stella Hanioti, who along
with her sister Moscha Hanioti founded the company «Stella and Moscha Exclusive Greek Island Weddings», continuing the activity of their mother
Evangelia Mendrinou, also one of the first wedding organizers in Santorini.
Their customers come from the US, Australia, but also from Dubai, Qatar, Abu
Dhabi, as they perform about 30 to 40 weddings a year, tailored to customers'
wishes with a budget that starts from 10,000 euros for two people and can rise
up to 700,000 euros for 70 people including their stay. There is also an increase
of the presence of Australians and particularly Russians and Chinese. “There is a
“deluge” of Asians”, she says.
More specifically, in the last five years visitors from these countries, who
“embrace the Western lifestyle”, perform only the ceremonies, as “Greece has
stiff rules” and declare the wedding in their country, Ms. Konstantinidis
comments. Usually, the Chinese come only in couples and rarely accompanied by
more guests, while weddings of Russians are attended by 20 to 30 guests. The
Chinese are also served by wedding agencies of their country dealing with the
planning, which arrive with the couple in Greece in groups (e.g. hairdressers,
make-up artist, photographer, etc.) so as to offer services that are closer to their
culture. It is something that creates reactions from the local professionals (e.g.
photographers), as it causes foregone earnings for the island. The newlyweds
stay about 2.5 nights at the Caldera hotels, and more nights at Kamari and
Perissa, since hotel prices are lower. A wedding of about 20 to 30 people in
Santorini affects transport by plane or ship, stay and taxis, food, wedding
services (e.g. photographers, flowers, video, donkeys, shopping, souvenirs, etc.)
In the past 80% of the weddings in Santorini were among Americans. Nowadays
the rate has dropped to 40% and the rest is covered by emerging markets, says
Ms. Dimitra Bratika, photographer and co-owner of the company A & D
Concierge Services. She even notes that many of the couples who get married in
Santorini return the following year for their anniversary or later for the renewal of
their vows.
Spending from 3,000 to 200,000 euros
“Greece sells greatly for its natural beauty”, states Mr. George Diamantopoulos
owner of the company «Diamond Events», who organized 120 weddings
throughout Greece in 2013, and was selected as “Best Destination Wedding
Planner in Greece 2013”, by the Canadian company «Wedding Industry Experts».
“There is tremendous growth for the product”, he underlines, highlighting
Santorini’s leading position in demand. However, the options vary, as Italians and
Lebanese prefer Mykonos, Russians Halkidiki and this year they also turned to
Lefkada, after the acquisition of Scorpio by Russian tycoon Dmitry Rybolovlev.
“Greece is advertised for its beauty and its islands”, he notes. According to him,
the cost of a destination wedding starts at 3,000 euros and can reach up to
200,000 euros. Based on data from the Wedding Institute, people who choose
destination weddings were born between the ‘80s and the late ‘90s and have
relatives all over the world. The average cost per wedding amounts to 22,000
U.S. dollars (16,000 euros). It is lower than that of a conventional wedding, as
guests are less (86 on average), although spending is more. Furthermore, despite
the economic crisis the budget of destination weddings is increasing.
High demand for wedding tourism packages
Greek islands receive wedding bookings for 2015 by leading Tour
Operators
There are various shades of the product, from Tour Operators packages that “are
more affordable”, to individual customized and bespoke ceremonies. Santorini is
by distance the “leader in demand”, as it is one of the most romantic destinations
in the world. At the same time “it combines the whole package of services”, says
Ms. Konstantinidis, offering also easy access with direct flights from abroad.
Mykonos is found lower in the ranking, as the weddings in the island are fewer
“but more expensive than those of Santorini”, and more socially exposed, she
adds. According to the Municipality of Mykonos 38 civil marriages were declared
in 2013 and five in the Catholic church of the island. Other popular wedding
destinations are also Rhodes, Kefalonia, Skiathos, especially after the movie
«Mamma mia» and Crete.
Over 280 weddings of foreign tourists were reported in Crete in 2013. According
to the registries of the municipalities, there were 63 wedding ceremonies in
Hersonissos, most of which between British tourists. They were planned by travel
agencies (Thomas Cook, TUI) that already have wedding dates booked for 2014.
Similarly, Rethymno had 91 weddings mainly by couples from Russia, while
Heraklion 24. In Agios Nikolaos, area that includes Elounda, 100 weddings were
performed this year, 56 weddings are already scheduled for 2014 and two for
2015.
Wedding tourism packages have already been developed in the context of
services of major Tour Operators in Greek destinations, with the majority of
customers coming from the British market. This category shows also a dynamic
growth, as it counts several hundred wedding packages this year, whereas TUI
already reports an increase of 30% for 2014, with the strongest demand directed
towards Santorini and Rhodes, while Skiathos, Corfu and Crete follow in lower
positions. “Wedding tourism” is getting its share in the planning of the local
authorities in Crete, and the Region of Crete examines proposals on how to
attract Chinese visitors and perform collective weddings, starting from Chania.
Respectively Rethymno, as the deputy mayor of Tourism and Culture of the
Municipality Ms Pepi Birliraki - Mamalaki notes, has set as immediate priority
to work with wedding agencies in Shanghai. Rethymno already performs
weddings of British, Scandinavians and Russians, in the area around Fortezza, the
Venetian castle.