Cruise weddings a favoured choice for couples
Organising a cruise wedding ceremony in Vietnam is becoming a favourable choice for couples, especially foreign couples, which is a way to promote wedding tourism.
According to share of Dr. Pham Ha, founder of LuxGroup (www.luxgroup.vn), a luxury travel and tourism company, hospitality, food and beverage provider, and cruise operator, recently, many foreign couples have paid attention to the cruise wedding packages of this company.
“We have made five deals for couples to organising their wedding ceremony in the next year. These couples come from countries speaking English and they often choose the time from April and October,” Ha said.
“These couples either have memories together in Vietnam or have certain connections with the country. In addition, many couples select Vietnam to organise their blessing day after being introduced by relatives and friends,” he said.
In Vietnam, a typical wedding is often celebrated in a grand restaurant, receiving all the wishes from the bride and the groom’s friends and relatives. However, a wedding on a cruise is also another favourable choice for couples to have an unforgettable experience. By the way, they will have private space, luxury and warm parties with their close guests, they can also emerge into many fun activities that the cruise operator has professionally prepared, and simultaneously have opportunities to exploit the beauty of Vietnam’s beaches.
A cruise wedding in Halong Bay is an example. An overnight wedding cruise with sundeck is the best option where the party will be set up on the large area of the ship so that everyone can celebrate the blessed day, then be charmed by the sunset and seduced by the tranquil night of the magnificent Halong Bay. In addition, Danang, Phu Quoc, Haiphong and Ho Chi Minh City are also other attractive choices.
“Vietnam’s beaches become a favourable destination to organise cruise weddings thanks to natural wonders and amazing landscapes. In addition, they can offer wedding services with various packages, providing all the necessary wedding preparations entirely based on the couple’s liking. The wedding packages are presented and can be tailored to the couple’s style, expenditure, and the number of attendees; they can be fully customised. Thus, couples can have memorable weddings and relaxing vacations with their friends and relatives. Another important factor is the increase of the elite and middle class both in the world and in Vietnam,” Ha said.
“For example, at LuxGroup, we can provide 3 days-2 nights wedding packages worth an average cost of $40,000 for 60 guests on our cruises namely Emperor Cruise Halong and Heritage Binh Chuan,” he said.
According to cruise operators like LuxGroup, exploiting the cruise wedding is also a direction to promote wedding tourism.
“With the advantages of enchanting landscapes, the complete infrastructure and available cruise service, Vietnam has a large potential to exploit wedding tourism through the cruise wedding segment. It is a piece of cake that Vietnam has been neglected,” the founder of LuxGroup shared.
In reality, in 2023, Vietnam has become a glorious backdrop for several cruise weddings since the beginning of the year.
In early the year, an Indian billionaire’s family came to Danang to organise a wedding for bride Tuisha and groom Gaurav. As many as 350 guests attended the wedding and there were 100 event workers. It was an outstanding event for the city’s tourism, thus, the Department of Tourism considered this Indian wedding as part of a plan to promote the destination in the Indian market.
According to the opinion of wedding planners and cruise operators, wedding tourism promises to bring significant benefits to the Vietnamese tourism industry because international tourists who choose a tour combined with a wedding organisation often have the financial capacity and are willing to spend a lot of money on their wedding. Many guests from India, Europe and America can pay up to millions of dollars for the most important event of their lives.
Normally, each couple holding a wedding abroad usually invites 100 – 800 guests. Guests will eat, stay, and use services at the wedding destination. In addition, many guests choose to arrive in Vietnam early or stay longer to visit and explore famous tourist destinations. Thus, the traveller companies and cruise operators expect that the captured images and direct experiences of foreign visitors will be the most wonderful and trustworthy promotional channel for foreign visitors about Vietnamese tourism.
Shakti Singh Kavia, a co-founder of Travel Recipes, said his visit to Vietnam had the aim of exploring avenues to develop wedding-related tourism, a trend that has gained traction in India over the past decade.
As per Kavia’s evaluation, with Indians increasingly seeking destination weddings in foreign countries, Vietnam presents itself as a potential choice for such occasions thanks for holding a competitive pricing edge. The expenses for a wedding tour in Vietnam could potentially be lower than those incurred for a similar event in India. In addition, the country’s appeal lies in its numerous picturesque locations.
