All inclusive - so bad for the host country

[nothingoldcanstay]

Did you not see that series on TV high lighting just how bad for the economy AI is? Aside from that it seems a bit odd to go to a different country and then eat hotel food. Most wine and beer is cheaper abroad so shouldn't we all try at least to help the country you holiday in rather than just one corporation?

I can fully understand those that fight the corner of the 'independant' bar/restaurant owners as it's truly sad to see a once lively resort become like a ghost town due to AI. however, i'd like to point out the plight of the hotel owners. Owners of hotels (who are also employers of many!!!) are firmly under the control of the tour company's demands, for example, the success of your hotel depends entirely on selling the rooms to tour companies-if these tour companies are unwilling to buy your rooms unless they are AI (which is the case in many resorts) you are left with an empty hotel thus having the same effect on the local economy ;no one in resort to support bars and restaurants, plus hotel staff with no jobs. It boils down to simple supply and demand controlled by tour companies.
IMO the simple solution if you wish to enjoy the benefits of AI, but also support the local economy is to eat out a few times during your stay. to those who instantly scoff at the mention of all inclusive, i would say consider the bigger picture!
to those who enjoy AI i'd say maybe put a little spending money to one side, and enjoy a meal outside the hotel one night.

I've not been abroad for a few years- I'm really stunned how much things seem to have changed!

Is the rest of the world really cheaper than Europe now?

Before reading this thread I would have automatically shunned AI but in some places it sounds like the only viable option.

Charlotteperkins yes and no. UK is very expensive for somethings, especially food. I did Japan last year while pregnant with DD (standard tokyo to kyoto route), and the food was so amazingly cheap. For what you pay for a cheap pub grub, we were sitting at local restaurants having real cooked food. We didn't have alcohol obviously .

We stayed room only at an AI resort in St Lucia whenDS was a baby. First time at that kind of resort, but it was weird: we hired a car to travel round and see the island but the staff couldn't get their heads around why we'd want to. (?????? Because it's so beautiful maybe?). The rooms were crazily luxurious, beautiful bathrooms etc, but the real shocker (for me) was that when we visited a village inland we found people had to collect all their water from a standpipe and were advised to use it sparingly, yet the resorts had 30-litre flushes on every toilet etc. The restaurants appeared to import most of their food from the USA rather than use local.... It was really horrid I thought. Best meals we had were at local restaurants outside the resort.
They do employ local people but as the management is generally American I do wonder what proportion of the profits are ploughed back into the local community? Didn't see the programme, so I don't know if this was mentioned. But I was really uncomfortable with how the island was being exploited without real benefit other than some employment.

Like everyone else I can see that AI is not great for the local economy but if you are a family it can be a lot cheaper. Last year we went to a great AI in Morrocco, the food fantastic and a water park with plenty to keep the kids amused.
However this year I don't want to go AI - I have four small children so by the time my husband and I went to the buffet with them, picked their food, got them a drink (usually someone spilt something, so them mopped it up and got another one then hopping up to get another fork, sauce, butter etc), then went and got my own food it wasn't the most relaxing meal!

I like a waiter !

Disclaimer : I know that some AI hotels do table service but having to pay for 6 airfares, 2 rooms and go during the school holidays really limits us to cheap (ha ha) and cheerful.

We went AI to Turkey in November. Our AI was absolutely fantastic, no drunk people, wonderful food and plenty of space to relax. Lots for DD (18 months at the time) to do. The resort was immaculately clean. We also spent 3 days of our 7 days going out and about in the area (Lara Beach) and went into Antalya town for two whole days, eating in restaurants for lunch and dinner on two days.

I don't feel guilty about it because (a) it was what we could afford (b) the resort is in an undeveloped area and has provided enormous amounts of jobs (c) this is life. Businesses have to adapt - it happened with the weaving industries and it happens all the time, in every industry. Consumers should not be expected to stand still and keep doing the same just because "it's better for small businesses".

Do these AI resorts only cater for the Brits, or is there an international clientele?

One of the reasons we like to stay "off complex" on holiday is that we can get away from fellow Brits and feel properly abroad. Our last two foreign holidays were in Italy and Croatia, and both hotels had a mixture of holiday makers from other European countries - all of them interested in the country they had come to visit, the food, the culture, the wine etc.

I would hate to stay somewhere completely peopled by Brits who never leave the compound, where the food is a bland "international " buffet every day without any reference to the local cuisine, nightly "entertainment", kids clubs etc.

I realise I am painting an extreme picture here so please advise me that not all AI resorts are like this because that is the (perhaps wrong) impression I have of them.

Actually, the AI holidays (2) we have taken have been a godsend. With 2 preschoolers, AI means you can go to the bufffet whenever it's convenient, quickly grab some food and you're done. Children easily fed as lots of choice laid out. When I go abroad with a young family, I am not looking to experience fine cusine - eating is just something that we have to do. I am looking to visit places, go swimming etc etc.

I can see how AI is damaging some holiday resorts, but it's the tour operators who need to be more responsible. I'm not taking an AI holiday this year, but I had no idea when I went on holiday last year and the year before of the impact of AI.

When we go to Mauritius it makes me laugh at people eating buffet food and hotel sandwiches which even at an AI price must be far more expensive than the fabulous food that can be found - tasty curry rotis for less than 50p, a bag of the best fresh cooked samosas you will ever taste for 20p, a hand peeled fresh mini pineapple to eat straight from the stalk for 40p, fresh fish 'rougaille' in local restaurants for a pittance....

My impression is that many of the hotels do use a lot of local produce, and certainly local labour, but it's such a dead experience, eating in the hotels all the time.

I have done AI for my honeymoon in the Maldives at it was amazing - best holiday by far. Food was first class, no drunks, mix of nationalities and staffed by local people.

I have also done AI in Turkey with huge Brit and German contingency. Hotel was nice but food was a bit mediocre, chips with everything. Fights for sunbeds. And it was actually the Germans that were the drunks at the bar from midday onwards. This AI was considerably cheaper than Maldives so I guess you get what you pay for.

Generally DH and I tend to do Neilson/Mark Warner holidays so not technically AI but most things are included with options to eat out at local restaurants couple of times a week. They also provide the childcare option which we don't always use but I know lots of parents who opt for Neilson/Mark Warner value the childcare provided.

Not against AI in principle but you really do have to do your homework in finding an AI hotel/resort that suits you.

Bunbaker certainly the resort we stayed at in Cuba was a mixture of Brits, Germans and Canadians, and I met a couple of Italians and Spanish people too.

I think AI has it's place and certainly you can avoid the 'AI-Butlins-Benidorm' experience. We stayed for 2 weeks and not once saw any evidence of gorging, drunkenness, loutishness or "Brits on tour" style behaviour. I think as long as you choose your holiday/resort carefully AI does not necessarily equal the above.

And the cocktails available on the AI menus are revoltingly sweet and comprised of cheap stuff. We stayed 4 days in a hotel (to escape family for a few days) where there was an AI option and the temptation to lie on a sun lounger from 10 am to 4pm ordering waiters to come out with a never ending supply of alcohol is one which many Brits would be well advised to resist. It isn't a good look, in any sense. Sunburnt, drunk, immobile, giving orders to staff all day...

Ah yes, the "free" alcohol. OH is a wine bore enthusiast and would find the free booze pretty undrinkable.

That's a bit of a generalization. If you go to a country, such as Egypt, where alcohol is expensive, then the AI cocktails might well be crap.

OTOH when we were in Grenada, a litre of rum cost about £3, and the cocktails were very nice.

I think Maldives is pretty much all AI (or at least full board & soft drinks), but it doesn't really matter because it's a case of "one island, one resort" so there's nowhere else to go anyway.

As someone else has said, there's AI and there's AI. Some very high end resorts in Asia are AI, as are all the luxury safari lodges/ski chalets and, now I think about it, a lot of the boutique hotels in South Africa. They probably all massively clean up as it's usually couples or families who tend not to go overboard on the booze.

when you have two extremely fussy eaters the last thing you want to do each evening is trail round local restaurants trying to find something you think they might eat. Then when it comes it "tastes different" and they leave it. At huge expense.

they can also have drinks/ice creams without us having to worry about the cost.
the AI hotel we went to in Majorca was of a good standard where wine and beer came out of bottles so not watered down. We are doing the same in Turkey this year (and not a cheap one either) because it worked well for us.

I never thought I would go AI as I feel I am a seasoned traveller, backpacked and lived in many countries around the world, and always try to eat local etc wherever possible... However, I REALLY wanted to go to Cuba a couple of years ago, and the cheapest way to fly there was on a package which included half the time in an AI hotel on the beach (half the time non AI in havana)... the beach AI was a nightmare, food was terrible, entertainment v annoying etc but the hotel itself was lovely and we ate out after the first night, so was fine all in all. We did say never again, but in four weeks we will be going AI again! This time I REALLY wanted to go to Cape Verde, and the only direct flights there (we now have a 2year old) are with package deals again... So we will be AIing again... Agh! Sometimes it is actually the cheapest way, but we do intend to leave the resort, eat out etc again as far as possible.

I've never tried AI and probably never will (though if it meant the difference between a holiday or no holiday I am shallow enough to give it a go).

We tend to go 'Greek' every year (often to the same resort) and have made some lovely friends there. Talking to local bar/restaurant owners they will confirm how damaging AI can be to their season. As someone mentioned further up thread it's not really the fault of the hotel owners who choose to provide AI - it's often the Tour Operators who dicatate what they think their clientele want and the hotels don't want to lose out by going against the grain.

The owners of the apartments in Crete which we have visited several times have opted out of the Tour Operator system and can only be booked independantly. They are full for the whole season. The apartments next door were under a large tour operator last season. Chatting to the owners they were saying that the TO demanded exclusivity for the season which meant that even if the TO hadn't sold all the apartments the owners were not allowed to rent the empty ones privately or they would be in breach of contract. Consequently they are 'going independant' this year too.

I have worked for First Choice - lots of my friends are from my time with the company. The comments on facebook about all holidays being AI were interesting (nobody in favour) as during my time there they drummed 'sustainable tourism' into us at every opportunity.
I spent 5 years on a Greek island and watched restaurants and bars close down as more hotels in the area became AI - its heartbreaking. Good friends of mine have survived because their bar is full of tv's and show all footie/sport , the soaps , Big Brother etc - strangely enough most of their customers have AI wristbands on.

my sister went ai to mallorca last year and the chef said he had to provide meals for each person at E7.00 each,thats all day!

Those wristbands are REALLY annoying, make you feel like a criminal, or a target for scammers when you go out.

Yes rshipstuff a 'come and get me' sign for timeshare sellers .

I think its horses for courses

Have done AI if i have wanted a cheap week in the sun, usually in the euro zone. Have been to a lovely resort twice in Greece that was ideal for a weeks RnR.

Then again I have done other types of holidays including island hopping in Sweden. Thailand (with DS) Visiting family in Australia and even the dreaded Disney. Last year we went skiing in Poland which cost £700 all in.

It depends what holiday you want at that time

I work in travel, I'm quoting on all inclusive longhaul holidays all the time.

They have a place in tourism. The hotels employ & provide training for local people, some go on to work in other areas of tourism, spa work, catering, cruise work for example. But the airlines and hotels are making the most money.

I have never paid to be on an all inclusive holiday by choice. Even if you stay in an all inclusive resort, you can go out and explore and still spend a little elsewhere in the local community. Be brave . This might not be suitable in all countries with AI resorts, might mention that Jamaica invented the idea of the AI holiday.

The Tour Operators are only giving the public what they want. Which is normally "the cheapest deal". People are less willing to research how much it cost to eat out. This is easy to find out via sites like tripadivsor and other travel forums.

Also, imagine you are in your home town, you can eat as cheaply or as expensively as you want, same thing applies nearly everywhere you go - even camping in Cornwall could cost a fortune if you dine out in the posh places and not the local pub or cafe.

What about the ethics of Cruises Holidays? Now that's where I fail to see any long term benefit to any local community. Tourist all rush back on the boats to get their food and drinks and spend very little on shore.

We cover wristbands when we go out, and DD always manages to 'break' hers a few times because she doesnt like wearing them. They are annoying, but better than carrying a swipecard (as we did many moons ago in Antigua)

at the AI customers watching Big Brother etc - probably the type that don't want to eat the 'foreign muck' at the hotel . Last year in Tunisia the food was fabulous, DH and I spent most of our time going to the Tunisian Specialities and trying new foods, DD went crazy for the pasta (which was bloody lovely, and got her eating 'proper' seafood for the first time). And that's kinda my point - by going AI we were more adventurous, if we had been paying for meals we wouldn't have dared try something that (quite frankly) looked like a big black poo in a khaki green sauce...but bloody hell, it was marvellous!