In Puglia for the “fatal yes”: wedding tourism is gaining momentum

Many VIPs (and others) have decided to get married in Puglia over the past few years. It is impossible not to mention the story between American singer and songwriter Justin Timberlake and his wife Jessica Biel. They got married in 2012 in Savelletri, and the wedding was attended by many celebrities, including Lady Gaga. The beauties of Apulia, however, also attracted Violetta Gruosi, the daughter of the founder of the famous jewelry brand De Grisogono, with the young banker Sohrab Bassiri. But it was the VIP wedding between Ritika Aghavarl, the daughter of an Indian iron magnate, and Rohan Mehta that attracted the most media attention. The ultra-luxurious wedding, organized in Savelletri, would reportedly cost around 20 million euros.

But it’s not just VIPs who choose Puglia to say the fatal “I do.” 2022 was a year of recovery: weddings returned and the choice of location by foreign couples rewarded Puglia. This region is the fourth most popular wedding destination in Italy. That’s why you get married among the Mediterranean beauties: villas, farms, trulli, beaches.

According to Federmep, the federation of weddings and private events that represents businesses and professionals in the wedding and event sector, in 2022 a total of more than 10 thousand foreign weddings were celebrated in Italy, with an average number of wedding guests of 60 and an average expenditure of at least 65 thousand euros . Hence the turnover estimate of 650 million euros. Taking into account the length of stay of couples (about 3 nights) and ceremony guests, it was also possible to count at least 619 thousand arrivals and 2.3 million tourist visits strictly related to the event. When it comes to wedding celebrations, Tuscany tops the list of preferred regions with a market share of 21%, followed by Lazio, Puglia and Sicily. In 2023 and 2024, Federmep expects a further increase in the number of weddings abroad by +10%, with a consequent increase in costs and therefore in the turnover of the sector, which should exceed 750 million euros.

However, regarding the marriages of Italian couples who chose a region other than their region of residence, the federation calculated about 7,160 weddings, to which should be added 350 civil unions between couples of the same sex.

In such cases, the federation estimated the average number of guests per event at 90 people and the average costs at 37 thousand euros, with a total turnover of more than 260 million euros. In addition to the significant economic value of this particular area, it is also worth highlighting the operational value of our tourism system: the movement of Italian spouses and guests amounted to more than 654 thousand arrivals to various destinations and 912 thousand.