Turkish Hotels Weigh All-Inclusive Changes, Fear Losing Russian Tourists
Turkish hoteliers are discussing changes to the all-inclusive format, but worry that dropping it could cost them Russian visitors, tour agent Bushra Dilek Mumtaz told RIA Novosti.
The debate has been ongoing for 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 previously noted that hotels popular with Russians are keeping the all-inclusive format.
"Turkish hotels understand that all-inclusive is becoming more costly, so the industry is discussing changes. But hoteliers are afraid to abandon the familiar format precisely because of Russian tourists: for many of them, all-inclusive remains one of the main reasons for choosing Turkey," Mumtaz said.
She said the discussion stems primarily from rising costs for food, labor and other hotel expenses, forcing operators to cut costs without losing appeal.
"A hotelier has to solve two opposite tasks at once: control expenses and preserve the product tourists come to Turkey for. If you remove the usual meals, drinks and other services from the package, the tourist will start comparing the final cost of vacation not only with other Turkish hotels, but also with alternative destinations," the agent noted.
Mumtaz stressed the step could be especially sensitive for the Russian market, since Russian tourists are used to paying for their vacation in advance and calculating nearly all major expenses before the trip.
"For the Russian tourist, the appeal of all-inclusive is not only food. It is a clear model of vacation, when a person knows in advance how much they will pay for the trip, and on site does not have to constantly think about additional spending on food and drinks," she explained.
She added that this is particularly important for families with children, who prefer hotel infrastructure where meals and a significant part of services are included in the package price.
If hotels massively switch to limited-meal formats, tourists will have to use restaurants and cafes outside hotels more often. But amid rising prices in Turkey, that option could prove substantially more expensive.
"When a tourist sees the cost of a hotel without meals, and then adds breakfasts, lunches, dinners, drinks and other expenses, the total may turn out higher than expected. So hoteliers understand that too abrupt a change could make vacation less attractive," Mumtaz said.
She noted that the hotel business also has economic reasons to revise the familiar model. Turkey has discussed reducing food waste in hotels and using products more rationally for several years. Under all-inclusive, hotels must maintain a large assortment of food throughout the day, and some prepared dishes go unused.
Another problem, according to Mumtaz, is that tourists who spend most of their vacation inside the hotel complex spend less outside it - in restaurants, cafes, shops and other local businesses.
"That is why part of the tourism industry would like to change the system so that the tourist leaves the hotel more often and spends money in the city. But the main question arises here: is the tourist ready to pay more for individual services and still keep interest in Turkey as a destination?" she noted.