Should you go on an all-inclusive?
THE public's demand for all-inclusive
holidays is continuing to rocket. The prospect of going on holiday without any
cash is irresistible: an endless buffet lunch of whatever takes your fancy for
a fortnight. Much has been made of the lure of "free" alcohol, but a
huge array of sports and activities is also a serious attraction.
All-inclusives are not really new of
course. Operators such as Club Mark Warner and Club Med have been offering
deals like this for years. In the early days, all "package" holidays
to Spain
were in fact all-inclusive, before it became trendy to dare to enter the local
bars and restaurants.
And now that they are all the rage,
inevitably some customers have been disappointed. Some have complained of
promised activities not after all being "included", or even
(horrifying to say) having to be paid for. And as Simon Calder, travel editor
of the Independent, points out, travel agents are naturally eager to promote
all-inclusives over B&B arrangements because all-inclusives earn them more
commission.
More serious criticisms concern the
very concept of the all-inclusive. Basically the revenue that might have gone
to the local community will end up in the coffers of tour operators back home.
Image a giant resort of rich Japanese people who effectively never set foot out
of doors, being dumped in the middle of London .
All the taxi drivers, restaurateurs and shopkeepers who normally rely on
tourists' expenditure will be deprived of income. Even worse is the cultural
barrier that descends, Berlin Wall- like, between holidaymakers safely on the
inside and locals safely on the outside.
On the other hand, families who are
worried at the thought of budgets spiralling out of control can book in perfect
equanimity. And despite early problems, the product is definitely improving.
After all, two weeks in, say, the Dominican Republic or Montego Bay, with a
choice of several swimming pools, beaches and restaurants - and endless water
sports - for around pounds 800 or pounds 900 per person represents a
considerable bargain if you really are happy not budging out of your resort.
Don't imagine that all-inclusives are
only to be found in the Caribbean by
the way. Thomson Holidays, for example, can send you to practically any of the
traditional Spanish resorts, as well as all the major Med destinations and
diverse long-haul points such as Thailand , Sri
Lanka , Goa
and Kenya .
If, taking everything into account, you
are still keen to try today's all-inclusives, above are a few deals currently
on offer.
Jeremy Atiyah
SAMPLE ALL -INCLUSIVES
Airport: Gatwick
Duration: 14 nights
Price: pounds 905 per person.
Airport: Gatwick
Duration: 14 nights
Price: pounds 759 per person
Airport: Gatwick
Duration: 14 nights
Price: pounds 1,429 per person
Airport: Gatwick
Duration: seven nights
Price: pounds 439 per person
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