HUNDREDS of couple could flood to Cyprus every year if Cyprus legalises same-sex marriages, boosting the economy in the process, a gay rights campaigner said yesterday.
Gino Meriano, owner of same sex wedding firm, Pinkweddings.biz said that, “the UK’s civil partnership industry is worth around ten million pounds a year, with at least 11 per cent of that money going to foreign countries. It could be even bigger if it is opened to non-residents.”
This figure does not include the same sex honeymoon market, which has been growing rapidly in Europe.
According to the UK’s Office of National Statistics (ONS) over 15,000 couples tied the knot in the first year after the legalisation of gay marriage, of whom 16 per cent honeymooned abroad.
“If Cyprus legalises same sex marriage for non-residents, this could open up a flood gate of couples, with hundreds coming every year.” Meriano said.
There has already been a significant interest shown in same sex marriage in Cyprus.
Danny Waine, Marketing Director of Perfect Gay Honeymoons says that commitment ceremonies on the island are proving popular.
“We have been organising these ceremonies in Cyprus since the Civil Partnership Act came into force, and are receiving increasing enquiries from gay and lesbian couples wanting to marry legally on the island.”
He added “Gay and lesbian couples don’t want to marry in stereotypical gay haunts like Ibiza, Mykonos and Sitges; they dream about marrying in typical wedding destinations such as Cyprus.”
The wedding tourist industry in Cyprus has been slow to sense opportunity in this sector. Asked about hosting gay marriages or honeymooners in Cyprus, Lakis Neophytou, Director of Cyprus Dream Weddings, said “This is something that we will consider if it becomes legal, but to be honest I have no idea about how popular it would be now.”
The Cyprus Tourist Organisation (CTO) also seems to be playing catch up. A CTO spokeswoman said yesterday “We have no idea about gay marriage, or if it will be approved. So far we have had no requests.”
She acknowledged that the wedding market is a key source of tourist revenue. “It is a very important source of income for us, and we get a lot of couples from the UK, Ireland, Israel and Lebanon.”
She explained that much of the revenue comes from friends and family who come along for the ceremony. “Sometimes 30 people come along with the couple,” she added.
However, Neophytou was pessimistic about Cypriots’ readiness to accept gay marriage. “I do not think that Cyprus is a good destination at the moment, because many local people are against gay marriage.”
A spokesperson for Paphos based wedding planning firm, Skarvelis Weddings, said described local residents as, “very conservative and family oriented, and I don’t think that they would welcome it.”
Regarding public perception, Waine said “There seems to be a misconception that gay wedding parties are going to bring 30 Kylie-singing, pink-wearing drag queens. This couldn’t be further from the truth.
“Each of the gay partners have parents that aren’t gay, brothers and sisters that aren’t gay, and friends that aren’t gay.”
The Interior Ministry’s Permanent Secretary Lazaros Savvides will meet with senior government officials to discuss legalisation of gay and lesbian marriage in Cyprus.
Under the current legislation, same sex marriage is not legally recognised and so couples are unable to gain the legal status of opposite sex couples.
While the moral and legal issues are disputed by campaigners, the clergy and the government, another issue that could sway the debate is the economy.
In countries such as the UK and the Netherlands, where civil partnerships grant couples the same legal rights as marriages, the ceremonies are big business. It could certainly be a boost for wedding planning firms here, who have reported losses of up to 50 per cent since last year.
