Hi Welshlass,

I've not heard of this here in Mallorca. But there is apparently something afoot regarding an EU directive that would make AIs deliver what they promise - which many do not. As a consequence of this, the AI may be altered or dropped as the hotels would be unable to comply (it could also improve the AI offer of course).

If anyone else has any info, it would be good to hear about.

Thanks
If I hear anything I will post a reply.

I have heard about this some time ago.
Apparently All Inclusive Hotels, especially the ones run by British Tour Operators are no good for the actual resort.
Apparantley people eat in the hotels and spend very little money outside the hotels and obviously local restaurants etc lose out.

Personally we have never done all inclusive, have heard horror stories about bad food that you're stuck with unless you take extra money just in case.

For me Part of a holiday is going to different areas and restaurants and seeing a bit of culture, not just sitting round a hotel dining room with the England Flag Brigade.We find Self catering holidays to be cheaper anyway, we always get a late deal to a good hotel and eat out.

I dont know why you want to be confined to the hotel at meal times.

hi...bunny ..........its called freedom of choice.
every one can do there own thing.
regards.john-doe...................

you dont have to be confined to the hotel at meal times,its not a prison camp.We always go AI and even if we ate out every night it would still be cheaper than self catering as we would pay almost as much as much for an apartment as an AI hotel as we have 2 kids and would have to pay the under occupancy.... believe me i have tried all the options and while the kids come on holiday with us this is the cheapest option as europe is no longer cheap anymore

When we went to Cuba AI we ate out every single night. The holiday cost us £550 for 2 weeks AI & then we probably spent about an extra £20 for 2 of us to have a 3 course meal every night, so it still worked out cheaper in the long run.

i have used AI many times in costa brava, and also gone HB/SC. i am very aware that some of the resorts are suffering as a result of these types of hotels. calella and lloret pubs are now very quiet until about midnight/12.30 when the AI finishes in these hotels, and then they get overrun by the guests from the AI hotels who have been indulging/overindulging in the free drinks.
i use the facilities in the AI hotel in the exact same way as if i was HB -i go down for my meal and see what's on offer and if i like what i see i have it and if not i don't and go out to eat.
having snacks on AI i treat as a bonus as i like to eat when i want to and not when i'm told i have to, so i will sometime use the snack bar instead of breakfast/lunch
with regard to drinks, it can be very expensive drinking soft drinks in the hotel all day,(1.75 euros for small fanta) and i find going AI can save me a large amount of money over the course of my holiday compared to staying HB, and i can use that money to spread a little happiness around the local pubs in the resort where i am staying.
i am going to lloret again next month on AI this time -booked independantly- as all i want to do on this holiday is hopefully lie in the sun all day and so will have lots of soft drinks lying by the pool.
i have found that trying to book as a single traveller that SC is not really an option -especially through a travel agent/tour operator -and so i have to choose HB or AI, and the flexibility that i get from AI more than compensates for the increase in cost, and that is really the reason i book AI.
i do believe that AI is bad for resorts in general as the smaller bars/restaurants cannot compete pricewise -much the same in british towns when witherspoons/yates etc arrive- and so they lose customers and then they lose the atmosphere, then they lose more customers(because the pub is not the same as last year when we were here) and then many go to the wall.
some will adapt and survive, but it will still result in the area losing character through losing choice.
i am not sure stopping AI will work, but if the holidaymakers want other facilities/options when on holiday it is up to them to use them or lose them.

I don't see this taking effect considering the amount of All-Inlusives there ISN'T when compared to the rest of the self-cateriing, half-board and full-board services.

And if it did... it'd be area dependant.

I don't know why you want to be confined to the hotel at meal times.

Just because people go AI doesn't mean you are tied to eating at the hotel.
We nearly always go AI and also like to go to different areas and eat and drink out.
We always hire a car to see most of the places the different places has to offer.

Whoah Nelly! Looks like some of you took it the wrong way.

I was only answering a question with information I had read in a travel article thank you, along with my personal preferrance. I'm not telling you what to do.

Keep your hair on!

But why did you particularly single out the British travel industry and hotels run by British Companies?

As far as I can see there are far more AI's aimed at Germans, Scandinavians, Russians, Poles etc. Many large AI's in Turkey, Egypt, Greece etc are totally dominated by these nationalities and Brits are in the minority. In Sharm their are lots of Italian AI tourists.

If AI's are a problem they are not some perculiar British problem which we have to solve. As usual we are being made to feel responsible for something outside of our control.

All-Inclusives are simply not going to be 'stopped'. ...Regulated to stop some places serving pig-slurry, not up to standards of the associated star-rating and entertainment, hopefully?

-Burnt Sausage.

I dont think it will be stopped as such but the article I read stated that the Spanish Government in Particularly were fed up that their resorts are losing out on business to All Inclusives and therefore was going to but in some measures.
It might not affect other countries as much.
The article I read also refered to Holiday Villages AI's which are for brits amongst other places.

Bunny, where was this article from, do you remember?

The Spanish Government (Socialist) may have a desire to curb AIs, but this is not necessarily the case with ruling political parties in the autonomous regions, the Balearics for instance, which is Partido Popular (Conservative).

Even were the Government to act, it would face the not insignificant barrier of the tour operators, who by and large drive not only AIs but all forms of package. I couldn't see TUI or Neckermann who have Thomson, First Choice, Thomas Cook and My Travel under their wings taking such a move lightly. Indeed the Government would run the risk of alienating important players in the overall tourist market, which Spain is highly dependent upon.

Wherever one stands on AIs, and I know the negative arguments only too well, they do represent a form of customer choice. I would have thought that the Spanish Government could only stop AIs if they consider them anti-competitive, which it could be argued they are, but only at a local level. In the wider scheme of things, I couldn't see such an argument holding water.

hi.andrew .you have some good valid points there.
regards.......john-doe.........

I cant believe a lot of biggoted people want all-inclusives stopped because they are apparently the root of all evil,maybe these people are just jealous and havent the imagination to look further than holidays from hell,and reports of drunken britons behaving like animals,
It might surprise the average bigot but their are drunkards in half board hotels and even in self catering accomodation too and they are far greater in number than those who frequent all-inclusive hotels.
The food is invariably good quality where we stay,in fact the food in the mediterraneo was exceptional,and as we choose our holidays carefully and dont pay over the odds,workes out very inexpensive, and they also provide a good deal for most people,especially families who are working to a budget,as the cost of those cokes, coffees and beers can soon tot up.
I unlike self catering customers,(while i respect their choice),dont have to fork out a hefty deposit just in case we trash the place,we have our towels changed and rooms cleaned on a daily basis,dont have to fork out a fee for air-conditioning and generally we actually have reps in our accomodation,heating in the winter,and arent crazy enough to pay room supplements like self-catering guests have to.
Another thing its not ONLY all-inclusive guests who go on 18-30 holidays and throw up in the street either.
Admittedly i have stayed in 2 hotels where our all-inclusive deal wasnt to our satisfaction,but we have also had worse experiences in self careing ,b&b and half-board too.
And so what if a lot of greedy resturanteurs,whinging about the euro and giving crap service moan about competition and all-inclusives.
Its called freedom of choice and we choose not to be bullied into accepting second best.
This is my 14th all-inclusive and i cant wait,two weeks to go,yipee!

Some very good points Andrew and bird

The anti AI brigade seem to hold a very blinkered view and feel their way of holidaying is the only correct way to holiday.

Lets face it, there are also tons of indifferent apartments blocks and distinctly average restaurants out there as well.

The food in my AI last year was so good I was frightened to eat out in a restaurant incase I was dissapointed. LOL.

I took my 2 children on an Ai holiday for the first time last year. We enjoyed it and did save a lot of money compared with times we have gone self catering as the kids could help themselves to drinks and snacks whenever they needed. I found that eating in the hotel, I did miss trying out local restaurants but this was balanced by the kids enjoying serving themselves and them not getting bored and whilst waiting for their food to be served. I think many people try all inc holidays for reasons like this. If the kids are happy you have a good holiday. Despite alcohol being available for 14 hours a day there was a distinct lack of drunken loutish people and we had a good time. I would go all inclusive again.

AI is not just about the food and drink. Pick a 5* AI and all the water sports are included. The resorts are secure so that gives my children/teenagers more freedom. They can go play pool or go to the disco with their friends they meet. After recent events im sure you will agree that this is important.

We even went to a AI in Jamaica that provided in the price a nanny/girl friday for each child in the family.

I always say if the children are happy then i can relax.