Marriage: More couples tie the knot abroad

Up to 16,000 British couples will this year get married on special overseas weddings-in-paradise packages, tour operators said yesterday. Thomson, Britain's largest holiday company, said it expected to host about 4,000 couples on overseas wedding packages in 1997. "We've noticed more and more couples are wanting to arrange an overseas wedding during the English winter," said a spokeswoman.

Newlyweds are more likely to island-hop or visit several places on honeymoon rather than stay in one location, like their parents, according to industry analysts.

"Interest in single-centre honeymoons has plummeted and the emphasis is on twin-centre holidays," according to Susan Williams, marketing director of specialist long-haul destination holiday company Silk Cut Travel. "We think this stems from the greater sophistication of younger people, who are likely to have experienced a wide range of overseas holidays before they get married."