"All inclusive" is a hotel meal plan that emerged in Turkey in the early 1990s. The price of a hotel stay, paid in advance, includes meals and all alcoholic beverages, entertainment, and some sports activities. Currently, this The system is offered in Turkey, Greece, Egypt, Bulgaria, the Caribbean and some others.
As Irina Tyurina, press secretary of the Russian Union of Travel Industry (RUTI), noted, reports that all-inclusive packages will be cancelled in mass tourism countries appear regularly.
"The topic of abolishing all-inclusive comes up with surprising regularity, and at various levels. For example, in early 2015, then-Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras called for the abolition of all-inclusive, citing the threat to small businesses. And hoteliers themselves, including in Turkey, periodically consider the economic feasibility of 'feeding' tourists 24/7," she said.
But the system, she says, is still alive and well: ultra all-inclusive, super all-inclusive, and other options have emerged, and more and more countries are introducing this service, including Russian resorts.
"First of all, because it's convenient for tourists: by choosing all-inclusive, they practically eliminate the need for food on vacation and can calculate their expenses quite accurately. This is especially true when vacationing with children. In any case, the vast majority of Russians choosing popular beach destinations buy all-inclusive packages. Therefore, I don't think it will be abolished in Turkey," the expert emphasized.
At the same time, according to I. Tyurina, even if the "all-inclusive" package is cancelled, Russians will still travel to Turkey and adapt to the new conditions.
Anex Tour also believes that Turkey will not abandon the all-inclusive system.
"The Turkish hotels we offer for the summer 2018 season continue to offer all-inclusive accommodation. Regarding possible changes and their impact on the tourism industry, it's unlikely that hoteliers will adopt them en masse due to the system's popularity with tourists," the company's press service told Interfax-Tourism.
Rostourism head Oleg Safonov told reporters on Wednesday that his agency would support the development of the all-inclusive system in Russia. "In Russia, we will seriously develop the all-inclusive system and increase Russia's competitiveness in the tourism market, including vis-à-vis Turkey," he said, responding to a question about the abolition of all-inclusive travel in Turkey.
According to the official, it is too early to say how the abolition of the system will affect the flow of tourists from Russia to Turkey, since no one is canceling it.
This week, Bendevi Palandoken, chairman of the Turkish Traders and Craftsmen Association, proposed abolishing the all-inclusive system at Turkish resorts, as it hinders shopkeepers in resort areas from making money from tourists.
Source: tourism.interfax.ru
