TUI hits back at all-inclusive critics
TUI UK has hit back at suggestions that its new policy for First Choice to sell only all-inclusive holidays is against its sustainable tourism ethos.
Meanwhile, Club Med, one of the pioneer’s of the all-inclusive concept, said it had seen double-digit growth in sales at many of its European resorts for summer 2011 due in part to the ‘continued renaissance’ in cash-free holidays at the higher end of the market.
Since TUI announced last week that First Choice would be dedicated to all-inclusive holidays from summer 2012, the operator has received a barrage of criticism from the tourism industry.
Tourism Concern said this week that it was "dismayed" by TUI’s decision, but the operator’s newly appointed director of sustainable development Jane Ashton insisted he company was still supporting sustainable tourism.
She said it would work with experts to try to increase the benefits of all-inclusive resorts to local communities.
"TUI UK & Ireland & TUI Travel PLC remain as committed now, as ever, to making our holiday operations more sustainable," said Ashton.
"TUI UK has demonstrated this through its leading, wide-ranging and challenging three year Holidays Forever commitments (www.holidaysforever.co.uk), which will measurably improve the impact of our holidays across both Thomson and First Choice brands.
"TUI UK aims for 90 percent of their hotels to reach Travelife award status by 2014. Backed by ABTA, Travelife supports destination economies by encouraging hotels to work with local suppliers and employ local people.
"Further to the recent re-positioning of the First Choice brand, we acknowledge the debate around the economic impact of all inclusive. We will continue to work with experts to understand how we can increase benefits of all inclusive holidays to local communities and adjust practices to support this."
However, Tricia Barnet of Tourism Concern said the move highlighted the fact that the industry still had ‘a very long way to go’ towards becoming more sustainable. She added: “I was told by the hotels association in a busy Turkish resort that UK operators had bullied hoteliers into reluctantly turning themselves into all-inclusives. For this they were being paid the princely sum of €20 per night per person for the whole package.
“It doesn’t take much thinking to realise what this does both to the local economy, the hospitality for which Turkey is famous and the consequent end result for the holidaymaker. The TUI group are supposed to be leading the pack in terms of responsible and sustainable tourism, so how do they justify this?”
Given the importance of this issue and the power of TUI in the global marketplace, Vision on Sustainable Tourism and TotemTourism will hold a masterclass in London on 10 May to discuss the subject and its relevance to sustainable tourism.
Executives of TUI and other major tour operators have been invited to attend.
Details of the masterclass can be found at: www.travelmole.com/stories/1147228.php
By Valere Tjolle and Linsey McNeill
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
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