Leading LATAM travel concierge announces TwoLovers division and reveals the latest destination wedding and group travel trends data. Smaller guest lists, joint bachelor/bachelorette parties, extended group ‘minimoons’, and cultural excursions are on the itinerary for 2024.
CARTAGENA, COLOMBIA – As peak U.S. engagement season arrives with the holidays, leading Latin American travel concierge, TwoTravel, has announced the launch of its new destination wedding division, TwoLovers. Debuting in TwoTravel’s headquarters of Cartagena, Colombia, TwoLovers blends premium wedding planning services with the all-access, personalized group travel concierge service that TwoTravel expertly provides. TwoLovers becomes the couple’s sole point of contact, eliminating the stressful and needless back and forth with vendors leading up to their big day.
The launch comes at a time when travelers are planning significant international group travel and destination milestone celebrations. In tandem with the TwoLovers launch, TwoTravel conducted a group travel survey to identify and characterize consumer behavior around international travel and destination wedding planning in 2024. According to the survey, 76% of respondents plan to engage in group travel in 2024, with 30% of these trips being a destination wedding, and 22% for bachelor or bachelorette party travel. Increasingly, destination weddings are becoming the norm (of those surveyed, 42% have already hosted or are actively planning one) – as nearlyweds seek to combine their nuptials with a memorable vacation experience in a unique setting.
As the fastest growing travel and wedding concierge in Cartagena, with 20 weddings already scheduled for 2024, TwoLovers takes the headache out of destination wedding planning with bespoke services for the entire wedding journey – including pre-wedding bachelor/bachelorette festivities, guest concierge, venue sourcing, guest accommodations and activities, luxury villa and boat rentals, catering, florals, hair and makeup, photography and videography, bartenders and specialty cocktails, live music and DJ entertainment, post-wedding ‘mini-moons,’ and a dedicated host and all-access service throughout the celebrations.
When it comes to choosing a location to tie the knot, the TwoTravel survey found that 67% of respondents prefer a beach destination and 31% prefer a historical setting for an international wedding. A charming and colorful UNESCO World Heritage site, Cartagena exemplifies the best of both worlds with romantic old world architecture, crystal blue Caribbean waters, and vast history – setting the stage for a destination wedding beyond the ordinary. While a top concern cited in the survey around having or attending a destination wedding was travel distance, ease of travel to Cartagena is on the rise, with nonstop flights via Avianca (Star Alliance) from Miami (MIA) and New York City (JFK), Spirit Airlines year-round from Fort Lauderdale (FLL) and Orlando (MCO), and American Airlines (Oneworld) from Miami (MIA). Heading into 2024, Delta Airlines is set to launch new three-times weekly nonstop flights from Atlanta on December 22. Additionally, the expansion of Cartagena’s international airport is underway, which will soon welcome at least 7.5 million passengers per year. Aside from proximity of the destination, safety concerns also topped the list of destination group travel worries among respondents. As a reassuring option for wary travelers, Cartagena is known as one of the safest cities in Colombia, as well as one of the most LGBTQ+ friendly destinations in Latin America. TwoLovers can arrange personal security as needed to assure guests can safely explore outside their comfort zone.
While TwoLovers executes weddings of all sizes, the team specializes in bringing intimate and mid-sized weddings to life with VIP services and curated experiences at every touchpoint. In the new era of destination wedding planning, more engaged couples are keeping it simple with a smaller, close-knit group of meaningful guests: 26% of engaged survey respondents plan to have 50-100 guests at their wedding, and 38% anticipate 20-50 guests. As every destination wedding varies from floral choices to guest lists, length of stay and more, prices will vary. An average wedding for 10 rooms (approximately 20 guests) and three nights in the heart of Colombia with a fully scheduled itinerary and wedding day starts at approximately $20,000 USD.
Tangentially to destination weddings, international travel for bachelor and bachelorette parties also continues to climb, among trends like combined bachelor/bachelorette parties. Of those surveyed, 58% have attended a joint bachelor/bachelorette trip with both nearlyweds. Not only is this an effective way to save on double celebrations ahead of a potentially costly wedding ceremony, but it also enables couples with overlapping friendship groups to share in the festivities together. TwoLovers has also seen an uptick in groups combining the pre party festivities, wedding and ‘minimoon’ all into one extended Cartagena celebration, allowing guests to share in the wedding beyond a single day. According to the survey, 67% of respondents prioritize the quality and availability of excursions and cultural experiences as the most important factor when planning international group travel. TwoTravel delivers truly memorable experiences with individualized itineraries and elevated concierge service for the nearlyweds’ friends and family, including over-the-top excursion options like yacht parties and private island rentals.
“We at TwoLovers know Cartagena like the back of our hand – and have the relationships, experience and team in place to bring any wedding vision to life. We are also the first concierge in the region to do so,” says TwoTravel Co-Founder Ray Kanevsky. “Our goal is simple: make the process as streamlined as possible for the couple and their guests without lifting a finger. Couples can simply say ‘I Do’ and experience the beauty of Colombia’s Caribbean coast, while TwoLovers does the rest.”
Vicky is the co-founder of TravelDailyNews Media Network where she is the Editor-in Chief. She is also responsible for the daily operation and the financial policy. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Tourism Business Administration from the Technical University of Athens and a Master in Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Wales.
She has many years of both academic and industrial experience within the travel industry. She has written/edited numerous articles in various tourism magazines.
