Recommend June 2016 - (Page 8)

E d it o r 's N o t e s Last month, while attending the Romance Travel Forum, a niche event for travel professionals who sell destination weddings and honeymoons, I filled up with a dizzying amount of information that I was able to impart to you in this issue, which focuses on this exact market. On page 10, you'll learn why it's so important to attend such an event. It offers the opportunity to meet suppliers that you can partner with and That's me with Melissa Varela, owner of Modern Romance Travel, at last month's which will not only make the booking Romance Travel Forum in Jamaica. process more seamless, but help make your clients' stay at their chosen resort and destination that much more memorable; it's an opportunity to meet with your peers and learn about innovative ways they are reaching the consumers in this highly lucrative marketplace, as well as the unique approach they are taking when booking destination wedding parties (as I write in the Wedded Bliss in Paradise feature on page 32, it's not all about the big day-sell add-ons); and it's an opportunity for you to visit resorts and see up-close how they can best cater to your clients with inventive experiences. These niche forums and conferences are very important, too, because, as many travel advisors said during the forum, once they specialized it increased their business and it boosted their expertise. You'll see, as you flip through the pages of this issue and read through the features, that we've rounded up an array of diverse destination weddings and honeymoon experiences-from heli weddings in North America (page 12) to underwater weddings in the Caribbean (page 20). Latin America editor Carla Hunt puts the focus on eco-honeymoons on page 52, because as Irene Lane, president of Greenloons, says, "modern couples are more conscious today about incorporating green elements into their lives, into their weddings, and they see a natural extension of that in their honeymoons." This issue is also packed with all-inclusive options for destination weddings in Mexico, because, as I learned at the Forum, all-inclusive resorts are the most popular for international destination weddings, with 70 percent of ceremonies taking place on the resort grounds. And if you aren't sold on the idea of specializing in destination weddings and honeymoons, consider this: 68 percent of couples book their destination wedding/honeymoon with a travel professional. -Paloma Villaverde de Rico E-mail me at paloma@recommend.com Official Florida Travel Industry Education Program Recommend has partnered with VISIT FLORIDA to create a course focused on Family Travel throughout Florida. You'll get the 4-1-1 on the range of family vacation opportunities Florida offers, everything from high-energy theme parks and museums showcasing shipwrecks, pirates, and clowns to up-close encounters with wildlife. When you graduate as a VISIT FLORIDA Family Specialist, you'll have access to prizes, including a Flip digital camera, three $50 Amazon gift cards, and luggage valued at $250; and you'll receive 3 CEU credits from The Travel Institute or 12 CEU credits from ACTA. Graduates also receive sales support from VISIT FLORIDA and a personalized certificate. Go to visitflorida. recommend.com to enroll and become a VISIT FLORIDA Family Specialist. group publisher/editorial director associate publisher editor-in-chief associate editor art director latin america editor caribbean editor cruise editor web editor/copy editor contributing writers laurel a. herman terence k. murphy paloma villaverde de rico michelle marie arean janet del mastro carla hunt ed wetschler vivian holley melissa bryant susan farewell, lane nieset, grisel diaz-ors corporate director of marketing sharon lewen production manager estrella bibas ad traffic coordinator daimee feliz chairman/founding editor hal herman president/editorial director laurel a. herman executive vice president gary herman miami corporate headquarters: 5979 nw 151st. st., suite 120, miami lakes, florida 33014 tel: (305) 828-0123; fax: (305) 826-6950 caribbean, central & south america: terry murphy, terry@recommend.com tel: (305) 828-0123; ext. 120; fax: (305) 828-0799 northeast usa, eastern canada, europe, africa, middle east: monique agaliotis, monique@worthit.com, tel: (917) 244-7000 florida, midwest usa, caribbean: brenda goodwin, brenda@worthit.com, tel: (305) 828-0123; ext.160; fax: (305) 826-6950 southeast usa, colorado, utah, idaho, montana, wyoming, texas, north & south dakota: karen smith, karen@worthit.com; (561) 419-8397 western canada, california, oregon, washington state, nevada, arizona, new mexico: lisa marie costa, lisamarie@worthit.com, tel: (949) 244-4760 hawaii: alan rock, alanrock1@gmail.com, tel: (310) 721-2825 cancun: margarita alvarez, margarissima@gmail.com tel: 011 52 998 287 1545; fax: 011 52-998 884-1716 RECOMMEND, Vol. 31, issue number 9, (ISSN 0034-1452) is published monthly by Worth International Media Group. OFFICE OF PUBLICATION: 5979 N.W. 151st St., Suite 120, Miami Lakes, FL 33014.Periodicals postage paid at Hialeah, FL and at additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to RECOMMEND Circulation Department, P.O. Box 171070 Hialeah, FL 33017-1070. RECOMMEND is distributed at no charge to qualified travel agents and tour operators. Paid annual subscriptions are available for $48 in the U.S., $96 in Canada, payable in U.S. dollars in advance. Published for North American distribution. Canada Post: Publications Mail Agreement #40612608. Canada Returns to be sent to Pitney Bowes International, P.O. Box 25542, London, ON N6C 6B2 Copyright© 2005 Worth International Media Group. All rights reserved. Printed in the U.S.A. Recommend is not responsible for unsolicited photography, art or manuscripts. Subscriptions: To manage your subscription, visit www.recommend.com/subscribe or email subscribe@recommend.com. let's get social Hang out with us @Recommendmag on both Twitter & Instagram, as well as on facebook.com/recommendmag. And if you want to see what our editors are up to away from the office, follow them @EdWetschler & @AreanWanderlust. 8 june 2016 recommend.com http://www.recommend.com http://www.recommend.com/subscribe http://www.facebook.com/recommendmag http://www.recommend.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Recommend June 2016

Editor’s Notes
Romance Travel Forum: Where Education Prospers
Out-of-the-Box Weddings
Travel Advisor Corner: Weddings Away From Home
Honeymoon Adventures
Onsite Review: Jupiter Beach Resort & Spa: Weddings & Romance By the Sea
New Ways to Get Married
Moon Palace Jamaica Grande Delivers on Destination Weddings
4 Very Different Honeymoons
Onsite Review: CHIC Punta Cana & Club Med Zen Oasis
Wedded Bliss in Paradise
A Honeymoon for Every Taste
Adventure-Filled Honeymoons
Wildest Dreams
“I Do”– Today and Tomorrow
Iconic Islands = Idyllic Honeymoons
Eco-Friendly Honeymoons

Recommend June 2016