Cumulative Hawaii Wedding Photo Shoots Surpass 30,000; Annual Reservations Reach Post-Pandemic High

American Holidays Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Koto-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director: Hideto Endo), a provider of Hawaii-specialized wedding photo services, announces that the cumulative number of wedding photo shoots provided by the company has surpassed 30,000, and that annual reservations for fiscal year 2025 have reached a post-pandemic high. The number of shoots, which had temporarily dropped to near zero due to the COVID-19 pandemic, has shown a full-scale recovery, exceeding the previous year's figures for two consecutive years in FY2024 and FY2025. Details are as follows.

Reaching a Post-Pandemic High in Annual Reservations

In recent years, the demand for "photo weddings," where couples commemorate their marriage through photography rather than holding a traditional ceremony, has been expanding. According to the Recruit Bridal Research Institute's "Marriage General Awareness Survey 2024," the implementation rate of photography among wedding events held at the time of marriage increased by 1.9 percentage points year-on-year, reaching an all-time high (Source: https://souken.zexy.net/research_news/marriage-wedding/msgi.html). The style of commemorating marriage through photography, without being bound by the format of ceremonies or receptions, is spreading, and overseas location photo weddings are increasingly being chosen as an option to fulfill this. Among these, Hawaii maintains enduring popularity as a destination for photo weddings due to its stable climate throughout the year and beautiful natural scenery.

At American Holidays, annual reservations for FY2025 reached approximately 120% of the previous year's level, marking a post-pandemic high. The company's Hawaii wedding photo service conducted approximately 4,500 shoots annually in FY2019 before the pandemic, but this dropped to nearly zero due to travel restrictions. Since then, it has steadily recovered alongside the resumption of travel, returning to a level approximately 20% higher than the previous fiscal year in FY2025.

The company cites three factors for this recovery, even amidst rising overseas travel costs due to the weak yen. First, the clear pricing structure of their "all-inclusive plans" starting from 69,000 yen (including costumes, hair and makeup, transportation, and photo data) has alleviated cost concerns under the weak yen. Second, the "revenge demand" from couples who postponed their plans during the pandemic has fully materialized. Third, the increased awareness of Hawaii wedding photos through social media has led to an increase in inquiries from demographics that had not previously considered shooting in Hawaii.