International wedding provider, The Wedding Travel Company has seen a rise of bookings since travel restrictions have eased in the UK. With more destinations being put on the green and amber list, travel experts at the Romford-based company have shared that Cyprus, Italy and Greece are some of the top destinations where Britons want to get hitched in Europe in 2021 and 2022. Along with seeing a rise in demand from couples wanting to fit their holiday and wedding into one big occasion, the business has had to face challenges during the pandemic which has made Co-Founders Luke Nathan and Noel Nurhat evolve their business as the wedding industry was hit massively during the Covid-19 crisis.
Luke Nathan and Noel Nurhat have been providing weddings since 2014 and have worked in the travel industry for over 30 years. They provide couples with unique wedding packages abroad that can be paid with a low deposit and small monthly installments. The Wedding Travel Company has had to change their booking process to accommodate the wedding backlog in the UK as more people want to get married in Europe, America and the Caribbean. Along with helping couples create their dream wedding, the travel provider can help the soon to be newlyweds secure their desired wedding location up to four years in advance, which means those who are unsure about getting married in 2022 have the flexibility to get married at a later date.
To help deliver excellent customer service, the team has recruited eight new members in the last 12 months including a marketing manager, appointments manager, contracts manager and five wedding consultants, to ensure that people are getting the best wedding service on and offline. The Wedding Travel Company also aims to see an uplift of 10-15% on their YOY turner as they plan to focus on growing their portfolio and adding new wedding destinations in Spain, France, Portugal and more by expanding their services in the U.S and Caribbean.
Co-Founder of The Wedding Travel Company, Luke Nathan commented on the rise of wedding booking since travel restrictions have eased :
“We have found that the easing of the restrictions has helped consumer confidence as we have had a surge of people enquiring about getting married abroad since around the beginning of May. We feel some of this uplift in enquiries and booking numbers has come since travel restrictions have eased across the UK.”
“Comparing our first quarter to our second quarter, We have seen a 35-40% uplift in new wedding enquiries. We have also seen around a 10% increase in revenue YOY suggesting that people are more ready to book than they were during lockdown last June.”
Co-Founder of The Wedding Travel Company, Noel Nurhat commented on how the business has made sure their customers come first when it comes to booking their dream wedding:
“We are one of a select few companies within the travel industry that hold an ABTA and ATOL license meaning that various services booked through consumers are financially protected. We also believe that having wedding planners in both the UK and in the resorts allows us to provide a deep, committed level of attention to the customer from start to finish. We constantly train and develop our wedding consultants as they are our core strength, ensuring that they have a minimum of 10 years experience within the industry. Our consultants are also constantly trained by our destination ambassadors too. We do not charge couples if they would like to change their wedding and we will help them move it to a more appropriate date by liaising with suppliers in the resort and blocking off dates on popular venues to ensure availability for brides that want to move dates from this year to next year.”
“We are 100% on top of our customer service game, ensuring that customers are met by our team at various points throughout their enquiry and booking journey. We attentively listen to our customer requirements point by point to implement necessary processes and changes within the business. We ensure that we’re engaging with the venues frequently so that we can ensure we meet our customers’ needs.”