Ninety-two stag and hen groups are set to descend on Bournemouth this weekend, making it Europe’s eight most popular destination for the pre-wedding parties.

According to data compiled by stag and hen tour company Last Night of Freedom, a total of 74 stag parties and 18 hen groups are expected.

It puts the town ahead of Las Vegas (90 groups), Barcelona (79 groups), Krakow (64 groups), and Ibiza (59 groups).

Managing director Matt Mavir said the most popular stag and hen do activities in Bournemouth tend to make use of its location and outdoor activities.

“Surfing lessons and a zipline from the pier are two of the most booked activities, along with the RIB blast experience and the ultimate powerboating grand prix,” he said “The lively nightlife offers the stags and hens the opportunity to partake in the more traditional last night of freedom celebrations.”

The company uses a tool called ‘The Last Night of Freedometer’ that claims to accurately predict the number of stag and hen groups due to celebrate in different cities across the world, using industry figures and a unique algorithm. Further details of how the figures are worked out are not available.

It says local councils and venues should use the tool to help plan policing and security. 

PierZip operators RockReef said the attraction was “proving very popular and the number of bookings have been growing at a significant rate over recent months with lots of enquiries received throughout the year.”

They added: “Groups love the zip wire and indoor activities at RockReef on Bournemouth Pier as it provides an excellent pre-party group activity.”

Mark Smith, director of tourism for Bournemouth, said he was “delighted Bournemouth is popular with people who want to celebrate before they get married.”

“Bournemouth is fortunate to attract visitors from every age group, and spring and summer are particularly popular times – with a large number of weddings taking place around this time of year.

“Experience has shown that visitors have a great time attending celebrations or conferences in Bournemouth and are likely to return in the future with their own friends and family.”

But despite the economic boost stag and hen parties are said to bring to the area, Cllr Robert Chapman believes they “put off a lot of visitors coming to the town”.

He said: “I think stag and hen parties bring quite a lot of money into this town.”

However, he added: “We’re trying to encourage a family atmosphere in the centre of town – stag and hen parties, in my view, don’t enhance that reputation.”

*according to the 'unique algorithm', anyway