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Without weddings, honeymoons are canceled. The coronavirus pandemic forces the postponement of some 37,400 links , with figures extrapolated from marriages celebrated in March, April and May 2109 of the National Institute of Statistics (INE). More than half of the almost 72,000 weddings that were registered last year.

Most of the bride and groom are delaying the celebrations. "We were getting married on May 16 and we have moved the date to July 18, for lack of available weekends in the fall. The farm, the photographer, the hairdresser ... we have all respected the change and we are not affected by any We are very grateful, because to the uncertainty of this health situation, we add the annoyance and displeasure that postponing our wedding entails and a possible extra that finally seems that we will not pay, "says Elena López.

Your adventure in Bali, Borneo and Komodo has to wait. They will no longer have the 15 days of vacation for the wedding in May and, in addition, they cannot travel. At the beginning of the year, the Spanish passport was the fifth most valuable in the world . Until a month ago, it allowed visits to 187 countries without the need for a visa, according to the 2020 edition of the Henley Passport Index, the report prepared by London-based consultancy Henley & Partners based on data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) .

Now, in the middle of the confinement of (minimum) one month, Spaniards have been banned from entering the US, India, Vietnam, the Philippines, Argentina ... Up to a hundred countries currently prohibit the entry of Spaniards or compel them to quarantine.

Chain of favours

On average, couples spend around 6,500 euros if they book their honeymoon at Pangea The travel store, the world's largest travel store. An amount that they will not lose. Even with its four headquarters closed (Madrid, Barcelona, ​​Bilbao and the recently opened Valencia, "which we have only had one month open"), "all our agents work from home to modify the trips for March and April," reveals David Gallego, commercial director of the business. "I recommend that the bride and groom call the agencies to find solutions as soon as possible. Practically everyone is postponing their trips , because they are going to continue to marry. We are making that change of dates possible and adapting ourselves to the day-to-day. They ask to lower the budget, we accept these new needs. We are being very flexible to avoid canceling these already contracted plans, "says the head of the agency.

The Covid-19 crisis is being lethal for the tourism industry. But airlines, hotels, tours, tour guides, restaurants and shows are all one. "I could say that 100% of providers are being flexible and respecting the prices already contracted, even changing the days, so that delayed trips, in principle, will not entail any extra expense for couples," says Gallego.

Altering the date may even be beneficial. "A couple were leaving in a few days to South Africa and then to Mauritius and by forcibly delaying their trip to October they saved 2,000 euros," says Begoña Aguirre, commercial director of the Nuba agency. The person in charge highlights the same idea as her colleague: "Suppliers understand the extreme situation and we are all working from home to solve these problems. We are practically having no problem postponing trips or canceling them, if asked to do so."

In this business they also modify the reserves day by day. " The April trips have already been canceled. With the May trips, we are progressing according to the news or obligations that the governments are implementing, both national and from different destinations," he acknowledges.

Autumn destinations

Change of dates and plans. Destinations vary depending on the season. If in spring the bride and groom opt for Japan and the flowering of their cherry trees, the USA or Polynesia , within a few months the proposals change, if the bride and groom want. "Japan in autumn is still a beautiful destination, because of the colors. As almost all couples end up on the beach, it can be combined with Indonesia (Sumba island) in October and if they travel in November, with the Maldives . We also propose Peru and the Galapagos or Zambia, South Africa and Mozambique. The best time to enjoy Zambian wildlife is from September to mid-November, the end of the dry season. Elephants and large herds of buffalo, impala, zebra, are abundant. they congregate in the Lower Zambezi Valley ", Aguirre details.

In autumn, zebras, wildebeests and gazelles cross from Massai Mara to Serengeti.

Station swapping expands possibilities. "To see the positive side, if in April and May we do not recommend Tanzania or Kenya because it is a rainy season, autumn in these countries is perfect. In October, the Great Migration returns home. The zebras, wildebeests, gazelles that they have crossed from the Serengeti National Park to the Massai Mara since the beginning of July, in October they start their way back. It is a very beautiful month to witness how the species return to the Serengeti grasslands. Also, it is not high season and there are fewer travelers " , explains María Casanova, responsible and organizer of the Kasinde trips, specialized in Kenya, Tanzania and soon Uganda.

Adventurous boyfriends who organize the trip on their own have to cancel their plans one by one. And they are also managing to change the dates. Given the exceptional nature of the situation, airlines are providing vouchers to modify airline tickets.

Air Europa informs on its website of the possibilities it offers to travelers, depending on the destination. Iberia offers bonuses for the amount of flights that cannot be enjoyed these days. And Emirates customers can vary their reservation to travel within a period of 11 months in the same class booked and without penalties for change. With patience, requesting the change through the websites of these companies is reasonably simple and fast.

According to the criteria of The Trust Project

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