Wedding tourism is a huge contributor to the tourism industry, and a village like Franschhoek benefits from it in the summer months, and in February specifically, as it has become the Wedding Capital of South Africa.
The value of the Wedding Tourism industry in the Western Cape has been estimated at R 120 million, according to The South African. The United Kingdom is the major source of wedding business, with the bride usually being South African and the groom from the UK. For the price of a wedding and reception in the UK the couple are able to hold a lavish wedding and enjoy their honeymoon in South Africa. Local weddings are attractive as the weather is guaranteed to be better than in the UK, they cost less, and offer appealing venues in the Winelands and at top restaurants.
Wedding tourism benefits tourism generally in that 50 – 100 British friends and family will come to South Africa to attend a wedding, and this introduces the country to many first-time visitors, who would not necessarily have chosen this country as a tourism destination.
The South African bride recommends accommodation, car rental, restaurants, and trips to take before and after the wedding, thereby making the planning of the trip to South Africa easy. The bridal couple offers more than just a reception, to “compensate” for the far distance the friends have travelled, and the money they have spent on the ticket and the trip – often a wedding in Franschhoek will be followed by a picnic at Boschendal the day after, and a sailing trip may precede a wedding whilst the group is in Cape Town.
Celebration House in Cape Town is a “one-stop shop” representing suppliers of wedding services. The company exhibited at the National Wedding Show in London last month, and has published a wedding directory called “Under African Skies”, listing not only Wedding & Honeymoon Association of South Africa approved suppliers but also advises on the legal implications of foreigners marrying in South Africa.
20
3070
27k
20