Turkey Rules Out Major Changes to All-Inclusive System Ahead of Tourist Season

Turkey's presidential administration says it has no plans for sweeping changes to the country's all-inclusive hotel format before the upcoming tourist season, despite proposals from the industry.

The statement followed a suggestion from Tolga Kilit, a representative of the Kilit Group hotel chain, who proposed splitting all-inclusive into five categories. The idea, reported by the Association of Tour Operators of Russia, would let travelers see before booking exactly which services and meal options are covered and how the categories differ. Turkey's culture and tourism ministry could be involved in developing such a system.

The administration said it regularly receives proposals from the tourism sector and that discussions continue with the ministry and industry associations, given tourism's importance to the economy. But it insisted no decisions capable of fundamentally altering the all-inclusive system in the new season are under consideration, and pledged that any future decisions would put guests' interests first.

The debate over all-inclusive has run for several years, driven by rising food costs, the need to cut food waste and a desire to encourage tourists to spend more outside hotels. Russian tour operators have noted that hotels popular with Russians are keeping the format.