2022 Honeymoon Trends
Article By | Kelley Austin, Cruise Planners
Honeymoons create the first future memories as a married couple! Couples today are doing very different honeymoons as compared to honeymoons 20, 40, and 60 years ago. 60 years ago, over 95% of honeymoons were domestic trips and the vast majority being within 500 miles of their residence because most couples drove to their honeymoon destination. By contrast, today the majority honeymooners fly to their honeymoon destinations or take a cruise.
Newlyweds and delayed honeymoons are making up for lost time due to COVID restrictions. The honeymoons are often longer, more experience based, and looking for that something extra special.
Some of the traditional honeymoon destinations have remained consistent over the last 5 years. Mexico, Jamaica, and the Caribbean are among the most popular of the traditional destinations due to the all-inclusive resorts. All-Inclusive Resorts are still an extremely popular option as they provide great value and cater to a variety of budgets. Over the last 2 years with COVID impacting travel and everyday lives, new trends have developed. Far and away, the number one all-inclusive destination for 2020 and 2021 was Mexico, followed by The Dominican Republic, and Jamaica. That trend is continuing, but in a much different way. While Mexico may still be leading the pack for all-inclusive destinations, it isn’t a runaway lead, and honeymooners this year have different ideals. St Lucia has also come back very strong since COVID.
Regardless of destination or type of resort, couples are trending towards upgraded room categories with more privacy and smaller resorts with less people. Rooms with private pools, swim out rooms, amazing views, or secluded privacy are in high demand. Rooms with an increased level of service such as butler or concierge are in very high demand for 2022.
More exotic destinations such as The Maldives, Bali, and Mauritius, are seeing an increase in popularity, largely due to the exotic and secluded nature of the of the destinations. The Northern Lights (Iceland), Victoria Falls (Africa), and African Safaris are in high demand for 2022, and we expect that to continue through 2023 and beyond.
Eco-Tourism, and seeing the great outdoors are also seeing a spike in popularity. Costa Rica with their lush forests, volcanoes, biodiverse wildlife, adventure travel, and accessibility from the US has become very popular. Belize with their tropical climate longest barrier reef in the western hemisphere, rich culture, beautiful offshore islands, and ease of accessibility has also seen in increase in popularity.
Parts of Europe are seeing increased demand for 2022, but more localized or single country travel as opposed to multi-country vacations. Due to the varying COVID protocols in different countries, many couples are sticking to single countries for ease of travel. Portugal in particular has become very popular in recent months. Italy retains its popularity, Croatia has become one of the new “it” destinations, and Greece remains popular as well.
While the continental United States is not a leading destination choice, in 2020 and 2021 it has seen a resurgence with some honeymoon travelers unable to obtain passports or not yet ready to leave the United States. Some of the more outdoorsy vacation destinations became very popular such as Southcentral Utah, Colorado, the National Parks, and Alaska.
Prior to COVID, it had been reported that destination honeymoons accounted for approximately 85% of all honeymoons while cruises account for approximately 15% of honeymoons. We are seeing a slight shift in those numbers with more honeymoons at sea. This has largely been attributed to ease of access to ports in the US, and less COVID entry barriers than some of the European countries or flying to some of the Caribbean islands directly.
A “must have” is travel protection. Given the pandemic has lasted 2 years, the airlines, resorts, hotels, cruise lines, etc. are providing less and less COVID exceptions. It’s not only important to have travel protection, but also imperative to have the “right” travel protection. Not only does the cancelation protection matter, but the during travel benefits matter more than ever. In the event of travel delay or travel interruption having the right coverage does make a difference.
No matter the choice of honeymoon, it’s imperative to work with a travel professional during this pandemic. A travel professional will help to navigate all of the protocols, policies, and procedures allowing you to experience the honeymoon you deserve.
Happy Travels,
Kelley
