Forever Changes

Continuing with an all-inclusive theme from yesterday, the endless debate about AI hotels is the extent to which they result in guests staying put and never going out and therefore not spending, thus depriving local bars etc. of much-needed custom. It is a sore point with many traders, and not without justification. There are undoubtedly those who never or hardly ever venture beyond the confines of the hotel, but, certainly in the Mallorca context, I have never been wholly convinced by the argument that no-one much does go out. There is a thread under the all-inclusives section of the fine Holiday Truths forum which I thought was quite revealing. One angle is the "convenience" factor, in the sense of not having to take money to the pool and worry about purses and wallets. Anyway, here is the link; it does make quite interesting reading -
http://www.holidaytruths.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=34&t=133895

Much as many would wish the all-inclusive away, it is not going to happen. Convenience, otherwise known as lack of hassle, is a far from unimportant factor in the holiday decision. Gone are the days when holiday was an adventure into the largely unknown. Had all-inclusives existed 40 years ago, they would probably have cleaned up. Or maybe not. Perhaps then, tourists were so excited by going abroad that they would go out and discover their holiday environment, regardless of what board they had booked. Today's holidaymaker is too damn blasé by half and wants it all on a plate, preferably a plate next to the sun lounger and ordered by means of waving a wristband. But had AIs been around and been the sort of all-round entertainment Butlins they have become (and Butlins would have resonated far more strongly with the late '60s tourist), they would have completely re-shaped resorts and the nature of holiday. It is perhaps salutary to try and imagine such a scenario. What this would have meant for all the bars and restaurants. What this would have meant for the resorts. It's hypothetical, of course, but it just goes to emphasise how holiday has changed and how markets change, and all-inclusives are a major force in changing markets - not for the best, many would say. But to continue the chain of thought, suppose that somewhere like Alcúdia had predominantly offered all-inclusive deals since the late 1960s. How would this have affected the place as we know it? Massively. It would not be the size it is, it would not have the atmosphere, it would not have put the money into the local authority coffers. Maybe it's this last aspect that should create most pause for thought. Say, also, Puerto Pollensa had been AI since the days when Cliff Michelmore introduced the first "Holiday 69" programme - and note that 69 (a mere 40 years ago this year). How very very different things would be now.

All-inclusives are not going away, but where - ultimately - do they lead?


QUIZ
Yesterday's title - The Fratellis, "A Heady Tale" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oojlvGjGbdk). Today's title - which American band recorded this important '60s album, and what connection does this band have with that "Holiday" programme?

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