Travel Advisors Tap Into Lucrative Destination Weddings Driven by Immigrants

South Asian destination weddings, driven by demand from affluent immigrant communities in the U.S. and Canada, are a highly prized business segment for a growing number of resorts and travel advisors. Larger in size and involving longer stays than most other destination weddings, their revenue potential stands out in what is already a profitable niche.

They also come with more complexity than most other destination weddings do, requiring cultural knowledge and the ability to handle a wide range of logistics. Skift talked about the challenges with travel advisors who have made South Asian destination weddings a rewarding specialty.

Another story looks at the evolution of the adventure travel market, no longer exclusively the realm of budget-minded backpackers. Now its appeal is much wider, drawing the growing ranks of fit and healthy retirees as well as millennials seeking authentic experiences.

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— Maria Lenhart, Travel Advisor Editor

Featured Stories

Travel Advisors Find South Asian Destination Weddings Very Lucrative But Tough: South Asian destination weddings are a lucrative and growing travel niche, fueled by demand from affluent Indian immigrant communities in North America. However, travel advisors need to be prepared for complex challenges.

Adventure Travel Specialists Take Customers Beyond the Beach: Adventure travel is a booming niche that many agencies would be wise to take on. Given the trends for retirees to live longer and healthier lives, and for millennials to search for unique experiences, this segment of the travel market is just getting started.

Mexico’s Mystifying Tourism Move Leaves Competitors Ready to Pounce: Mexico’s new government has priorities for tourism, but that doesn’t include a tourist board. Will other destinations seize the opportunity? Will travel advisors book away from Mexico?

Tourism

Luxury Tour Operators Expand Into Wellness to Meet New Demand: Luxury tour operators have incredible advantages over wellness industry competitors in crafting dynamic, immersive, wellness-first travel experiences. However, they must adapt to this new market quickly to avoid stagnation in crafting luxury that is better suited to past generations.

Ireland’s Tourism Success Is Under Threat by Brexit: A Skift Deep Dive: Whatever happens over the next few weeks, months, and years, Brexit has brought back some unpleasant memories and risks damaging the very united tourism that the north and the south in Ireland have worked so hard to build.

Bogotá’s Potential in Wellness Tourism Starts With an Amazonian Nut: The cacay nut is a perfect example of how tourists can directly benefit entire countries simply by buying products for their own wellness in cities like Bogotá that help support poorer regions throughout Colombia. Maybe someday being a tourist will become less about being a foreigner and more about being a better global citizen.

Marriott Loyalty

Activist Marriott Loyalty Members Launch Campaign to Air Complaints: This is certainly the most ostentatious attempt at drawing attention to Marriott’s latent technology issues in its loyalty program integration. But will the problems blow over and be a mere footnote in the next few months?

Airlines

Skifters Say Flying With Young Kids Is Easier Than You Think: From lollipops to iPads and airport lounges, here are some tips from Skifters on flying with kids.

The Ethiopian Boeing 737 Max Crash Leads to One of the Strangest Weeks Ever in Aviation: The worldwide grounding of the Boeing 737 Max fleet “out of an abundance of caution” is a break with the FAA’s traditional data-driven approach to accident investigations. Could this mean an end to the way safety decisions have been made?

Let the Planes Depart On Time: United wants to hold flights to wait for connecting passengers. But is this the right idea?

Lufthansa Now Drives More Than Half Its Bookings Directly: It appears as though Lufthansa’s attempt to divert bookings away from global distribution systems is having some success.

Southwest May Bear Biggest Brunt After FAA Grounding of Boeing Max Jets: U.S. airlines downplayed the significance of the FAA’s decision to ground the Boeing 737 Max, mostly saying they have enough slack in their fleets to take care of most customers. American and United probably will be OK, but it’s hard to believe this will be business as usual for Southwest.

Skift Travel Advisor Editor Maria Lenhart [[email protected]] curates the Skift Travel Advisor Innovation Report. Skift emails the newsletter every Tuesday. Have a story idea? Or a juicy news tip? Want to share a memo? Send her an email.