In my reading and research about all-inclusives, I’ve come across some interesting articles about the changes in the industry – from the early days of Club Med in the 1970’s pioneering “pay one price” vacations that featured mid-range accommodation, bland buffets and watered down drinks right on through today when all-inclusives are an ever-expanding success in the tourism sector with all sorts of specializations and features – from five-star restaurants to eco-themes to full on water parks.
These articles also provide some insight into how all-inclusives maximize their profits by taking advantage of the psychology of people paying their full invoice months in advance so guests often feel that “extras” such as premium wine, spa services, excursions and much more are more “affordable” since they haven’t paid out anything else for the trip (and it works – Shea and I have used spa services, souvenir stores on site, and even paid to go to exclusive parts of the resort, in the past!)
There’s also mention how, in some ways, guests who stay longer (14 days instead of 7) are often less desirable in a way because they’re more likely to go off-resort to spend money on restaurants, tours and shopping then short-stay guests who are more likely to keep their time (and money) on the resort!
It’s a really fascinating industry – I’ve looked but never found a behind-the-scenes book that gets more into these types of details. (Maybe I should write it?) 😉
Comments 2