1The theme of Honeymoon destinations which is the subject of this special issue of Via, should not hide the fact that these are the culmination of a matrimonial event which has become the object of a ceremonial industry. The honeymoon is (but not always) the logical continuation of a ritual process marking the union. We find this kind of formal process in another ritualized event - that is the funeral ceremony, while baptism and circumcision, rites soon after birth or before adulthood, appear to be in decline. The marriage event itself, even if it is only partly touristic, is undergoing great development in terms of pageantry and the use of specialized so-called “event agencies” which offer services ranging from catering to masters of ceremonies, on up to “all inclusive.” The connection (or even the overlap) between this festive aspect and social representation and the honeymoon is secure. The wedding becomes a significant event (staging, services, accommodation, catering, etc.) with its important tourist aspects (hotels and catering for guests, in particular, in specific places and as much as possible prestigious or even privatized for the occasion) leads “logically” to the honeymoon which is often financed by gifts from the guests themselves. A collection basket may be set up before or on the day of the ceremony. It is used to cover the expenses of the natural extension of the wedding night, which is a trip by the “new couple” (even if they have often stayed together for a long time) that has become customary. This trip is designed as a liminal moment of intimacy, between the new spouses before they plunge back into everyday life on their return. As an aside, we can see some similarities with those events which precede the wedding, namely the stag party and the hen party, which have gradually become local festive tourist stays (generally a weekend) carried out by their old friends.
- 1 On average, the decline in the number of marriages in the Western world over the last twenty years (...)
2We need to recall these contextual elements because this increase in ceremonial events, an almost essential precedent for the honeymoon, occurs in spite of a general trend of a continued decline in the number of weddings1, not to mention the decline of religious marriages (a ceremonial rite in itself), at least in countries where public life is secularized. There is an apparent paradox in this formalization of an act which in many countries no longer represents a necessary step to experience it as a couple; an act and an oath which in no way guarantee a lasting life together once the divorce has become legal; an act which, on the other hand, has expanded beyond the traditional heterosexual couples by extension to homosexual couples in the most liberal countries; an act which used to be inextricably linked to the procreation of legitimate children (and the honeymoon appearing as the ideal moment of conception) and which no longer has this function; the share of children born outside of marriage (sometimes before marriage) continues to grow in several countries without being considered negative (they are 60% in France; 52% in the UK, but 32% in the USA, vs. near 0% in Japan and China in 2020). With the popularity of the honeymoon, as an expected extension of marriage, modern society thus functions as if the desacralization of marriage should be compensated by an increased emphasis on rituals, social markers of conformism.
3Following these considerations, let us remember that this special issue sets out to explore the most touristic version of the matrimonial phenomenon that is the honeymoon. We bring up a few topics, often illustrated by the articles that were submitted to us.
4The term “honeymoon” (in the etymological sense) it is the lunar month following the wedding. As long ago as the 1500s, the month after marriage was considered the sweetest, like honey. The term “honeymoon” in the etymological sense, is the lunar month following the wedding, according to the British lexicographer, Richard Huloet (1552).
5The first approach was made by looking at Honeymoon Destinations. It was a matter of sifting through what fell into this rather vague category but where internationally (or nationally) recognized spots emerge. “Romantic” destinations, according to the language of tourism promotion, correspond to the places where honeymoon trips take place. The expression has only been associated with a trip since the end of the 19th century and is used today in two ways. Although in general this trip follows the marriage ceremony, it can also precede it (the Vietnamese example is interesting from this point of view), and then there must be honeymoons that do not lead to a marriage, just as there are honeymoons which lead to its dissolution ipso facto. For instance, the Japanese have a phrase, Narita Divorce, which means that the couple parts irrevocably when they arrive back from their honeymoon at Tokyo’s main airport, Narita! Certain destinations have acquired (or have had for a long time) an international reputation for being romantic. Islands firstly symbolize an isolation conducive to the intimacy of the new couple. We can cite Santorini (in Greece), Bora Bora (in Polynesia), Capri (in Italy). But a more national destination like Jeju Island (in South Korea) plays the same role. Some cities also play an age-old role for their atmosphere conducive to lovers. Venice was first, but also Paris, and later Florence, Vienna, Lisbon etc. They offer a so-called romantic and festive atmosphere ("Paris is a party" said Hemingway), an international level hotel, and some intimate corners. Finally, seaside towns like Nice, Acapulco, Miami... also play this role and today constitute recognized honeymoon destinations.
- 2 A riad is a home with multiple stories centered around an open-air courtyard with a fountain, locat (...)
6Honeymoons are more likely than not to follow from marriage tourism. A range of leisure providers (renters, caterers, entertainers, etc.) in prestigious or unusual places (castles, farmhouses, riads2, ranches, isbas [a Russian log hut] igloos, etc., real or fake) surround weddings and family events operating on a tourist model cannot be avoided. This approach also allowed us to understand what was happening in the nuptial paradises of Nevada, for example Reno, where people may get divorced before remarrying on the same day. Elsewhere, the great popularity of wedding destinations such as Tahiti and the Châteaux de la Loire for Asian tourists (especially Japanese) may run up against the French legal aspect of habitual residence. Marriage in French law requires the proven residence of one of the participants or their parents.
- 3 Chinese weddings are the romantic but purely symbolic nuptials organized from 2008 to 2011 at Tours (...)
7Also, the “tourist situation” may be either a manipulation (example of the prevarication developed by the deputy mayor of Tours3, or a simulacrum (a civil ceremony performed in a real town hall, privatized for the occasion). Such manipulations in any case provide a real “quicky” marriage which both satisfies a romantic vision and is perceived as more economical than an event for the whole family, with the bride and groom bearing the whole cost, as is the case in Japan. In Japan, the choice to get married abroad proves to be an escape from the weight of tradition (and its cost for the bride and groom). Ultimately, it is the emergence of a marriage industry that we are witnessing. It is organized around service providers working in networks and offering increasingly broad standard or tailor-made products that can even extend to the choice of partners when it incorporates marriage agencies!
- 4 Naïve popular images produced in Épinal (Vosges) from the French Revolution onwards for a public th (...)
8From its initial development, step by step, this issue of Via touches, certainly in a soft way, on a form of sexual tourism. The latter has spread throughout the world, particularly in poor countries, with some well-known “spots” like those in SE Asia. Taking a flight from Bangkok to Phuket reveals the extent of this when the cabin is filled with couples consisting of an older European accompanied by a young Thai boy, or more rarely a girl. The scale of this phenomenon is such that legislation has been put in place in Europe and America to penalize national customers of this commercialization. But Manila, Saigon, Bali... Cambodia, Laos... remain major destinations with games of dominoes between each apparently, which means that when one becomes too infamous it is replaced by another. It may seem that we are moving away from the initial topic of the honeymoon, moving into the environment of eroticization in Western societies which leads, following the laws of the market, to post-colonial exploitation of poor populations. The fact of looking for your partner (more than your companion) far from your usual environment by following channels which can sometimes resemble human trafficking, to form a legitimate couple, is a form of dark tourism. It is an artifact of the Epinal image 4of the honeymoon but one which is not detached and independent from “authorized” versions. The so-called “honeymoon” destinations, which seem be trying to distinguish themselves in a morally irreproachable manner from the previous ones, are also (even invisible) destinations for prostitution (Tahiti is one example, also Phuket in Thailand or Dalat in Vietnam).
9The topic of the honeymoon, a seemingly light and innocuous question, turns out to emerge from complex and intersecting issues, for which this special issue provides non-exhaustive overview. But it covers and examines more deeply some important themes. Let us quote for the record: Tourism is a contemporary substitute for the “lost” terrestrial Paradise (Garden of Eden). Honeymoon tourism is an experiential form of voluntarily positive memory construction. The economic scale of the phenomenon... At the crossroads of the flourishing areas of events and thematic stays, the experience of a stay as a loving couple in an idyllic, somewhat secret place... is a marketing product that seems to demonstrate the benefits of a consumerist society, which has led to a proliferation of ad hoc destinations, from paradise islands to cruises, including unusual stays (in castles, trees, igloos, etc.), tailor-made trips or to substitute destinations due to lack of sufficient space in the original places.
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