Rhodes Island Successfully Hosts the World’s Biggest B2B Platform for Destination Weddings in 2021
The biggest platform for the destination wedding industry, DWP Congress 2021, brought together the crème de la crème of the wedding industry to explore Greece as a luxury wedding destination. The event, supported by the Greek National Tourism Organisation (GNTO) as the Official Destination Partner, Region of South Aegean & Municipality of Rhodes as Government Partners and Mitsis Alila Resort & Spa in Rhodes, as the Official Host Partners saw the destination showcase their best for luxury weddings last week.
Speaking on the collaboration, Mr. Dimitris Fragakis, Secretary-General of GNTO states that "It was a great pleasure for the Greek National Tourism Organization (GNTO) to welcome more than 350 tourism professionals from approximately 40 countries who participated in the 7th Annual Destination Wedding Planners Congress in Rhodes, Greece. In the context of the Organization’s 2021 strategic communication planning, GNTO supported the event aiming to highlight Greece’s potential and offer on wedding, conference and luxury tourism".
Greece is making the destination wedding dream come true for couples from across the globe. "The country has insurmountable natural beauty, both on the mainland and on its islands, as well as particularly hospitable residents and authentic Mediterranean cuisine, which in combination with its rich history and the unique cultural monuments that visitors can admire, make it the most ideal destination internationally for honeymoon trips and weddings. Greece was the first country to open to tourism during the last summer period, after having previously shown significant performance in dealing with the pandemic. Thus, it emerged internationally as a safe destination that can adequately meet all the requirements of its visitors, for them to experience unprecedented holidays", shares Mr. Fragakis from GNTO.
Focusing on the 2021-22 wedding trends, Region of South Aegean lists "micro weddings" as the key trend. They also believe that couples will prefer luxury destination choices. The Region of South Aegean concentrates 60% of the five-star hotels of Greece. Rhodes in specific is a very timeless destination that offers something for everyone and just getting more luxury and more upgraded every year.
Mr. George Hatzimarkos, Governor, Region of South Aegean highlighted "The destination has a lot to offer in terms of luxury weddings and honeymoon travel planners for their 2022 wedding planning. An endless list of choices, from professional hotel wedding planners and local DMC professionals to luxury hotels, yachts, helicopters, luxury cars, restaurants, clothing, photographers make the planning easy and light, as there is no need to carry anything. It is all here in the region. Another very important factor, as mentioned above, is the stable weather with long sunny seasons 250 plus sunny days. Rhodes offers many advantages as a wedding destination: Easy connection with most countries via direct international flights at least from March to November. In the last two years of the pandemic, Rhodes proved to be a safe destination taking health and safety issues very seriously, shaping and implementing hygiene protocols, which facilitates the safe visit of millions of guests."
Mr. Antonios V. Cambourakis, Mayor of Rhodes and Mr. Athanasios Vyrinis, Deputy Mayor of Tourism and Public & International Relations Department, Municipality of Rhodes and Tourism Department further added "Rhodes is one of the top wedding destinations in Greece. The fact that Rhodes is hosting the internationally acclaimed DWP Congress is a great honour for us as a tourist destination and a great opportunity to present all these elements that make a wedding in Greece, unique. Greece is a popular destination for weddings because combines beautiful nature, beaches and landscapes. Many centuries of history. Unique cultural customs and events. Unforgettable gastronomy and great hospitality. Also, Greece has redefined luxury. It shows with the best way, that luxury can be simultaneously simple. Luxury is not in the quantity of an experience but in the authentic aspect of it."
Speaking about hosting World’s Tales & Dreams at Mitsis Alila Resort & Spa in Rhodes, Greece, Christina Mitsis, President of the Mitsis Hotels Group, stated "As Greece’s largest privately-owned hotel chain, it is such a pleasure and honour to be selected as the official host of the world's top event for Destination Weddings. For months we have been cooperating with national and international authorities, aiming to bring to life an event beyond expectations and we have undoubtedly succeeded. As true ambassadors of Greece, we are proud to have put together such a phenomenal show that brought together under one roof -our roof- the world of luxury wedding professionals, paving the way for substantial new investments in the country’s destination wedding and luxurious hospitality industries."
Mr. Ackash Jain, Director QnA International, organizers of the DWP Congress summed up "We, at the DWP Congress, are extremely excited to be in Greece for the 7th Annual after the inaugural edition in Athens in 2014. This time around, we take immense pleasure in welcoming all our Regional Partners on board the DWP Congress as the Official Destination Partner. We are constantly working towards building unique experiences for global wedding connoisseurs visiting the Congress in a new wedding destination every year to discuss the trends and highlight the growth of the billion-dollar luxury wedding industry. The USP of the Congress lies in the international clientele it brings in to focus on cross border collaborations, business development and marketing opportunities and Greece has always been a top destination for couples' choices for weddings."
See below a selection of images from DWP 2021.
