Florida Is Top Honeymoon Destination

Published by nora | Filed under Buyer / Seller Tips, Market Trends, Miscellaneous, Real Estate

Florida topped all other honeymoon destinations in the mainland U.S. in 2010, according to The Knot Inc., a media company focusing on weddings and related services. The state captured eight percent of the U.S. honeymoon market, higher than California’s five percent and Nevada’s three percent.

Florida was the top choice of honeymooners because it has the things looked for by honeymooning couples:

• Sunshine
• Beaches
• Theme parks
• Accommodations ranging from deluxe hotels to rental houses

The Knot’s study involved over 12,000 couples across the U.S. who got married and honeymooned in 2010 or who were married and have booked their honeymoon destination in 2010. Almost 30 percent of them had their honeymoon within the U.S. mainland while more than 70 percent traveled outside of the continental U.S., including Hawaii.

Including all U.S. states, whether in the mainland or not, Hawaii was the top U.S. state for honeymooners in 2010. It captured 18 percent of honeymooning U.S. couples. The rest of the couples who decided to travel outside the country preferred the following:

• Mexico, which captured 15 percent
• Jamaica, 7 percent
• The Bahamas, 5 percent
• Italy, 5 percent
• St. Lucia, 5 percent
• France, 3 percent
• U.S. Virgin Islands, 3 percent

The study also found that the average spending by honeymooning couples in 2010 was $4,466, that they booked their honeymoon four months before their wedding date, and that the average honeymoon length was eight days. Luxury honeymooners represented about 15 percent of the market and spent an average of nearly $10,000. They also honeymooned for 11 days on the average and traveled to more than one locale.

The numbers showed that despite the economic downturn, couples still want to enjoy an unforgettable honeymoon. One in four couples in the survey spent more than they planned and nearly one-fourth spent a total of more than $6,000. About 60 percent of couples booked extras and about 20 percent used travel rewards to cover part of their travel and accommodation costs.

Florida is an all-year-round destination for honeymooners and tourists, as its winter is not as brutally cold as in other U.S. states. Its beaches are white and soft, always appearing in various lists of best beaches. Recently, another Florida beach, the Siesta Beach in Sarasota, was chosen as the best beach by Stephen Leatherman, a geoscientist and coastal research chief who has been rating U.S. beaches since 1991 using a set of 50 factors.