All-Inclusive Adjustment in Alanya
The "All-Inclusive" system, which is one of the most debated topics in Turkish tourism, is currently being considered for gradual removal. Sector representatives argue that completely removing the system could negatively impact tourism in Alanya, but they also believe that a gradual phase-out could increase sales.
The "All-Inclusive" system, which originated in Spain, began being implemented in Turkish tourism in the early 2000s. Although this system has been a topic of debate at times, many tourists coming to Alanya still prefer vacations within this system. Sector representatives emphasize that while a complete removal of the system would be challenging, a gradual transition could lead to a change in the concept. They believe that after a gradual exit from the "All-Inclusive" system, prices would become more reasonable, potentially increasing sales. It is also rumored that the Ministry of Culture and Tourism is considering steps to phase out the "All-Inclusive" system gradually.
"All-Inclusive" Harms Both Local Businesses and Hoteliers
Hüseyin Değirmenci, President of the Alanya Hoteliers and Pension Owners Association, said, “Since the early 2000s, after its introduction in Spain, we have warned about the damage the 'All-Inclusive' system has caused to local businesses and the reduction in per capita spending. We stated that the system would harm national tourism and local businesses, held discussions with the then Minister of Tourism and other civil society organizations in Ankara, and argued that if the system had to be implemented, it should be standardized. We conducted some work with the Turkish Standards Institute as a result of these efforts but did not achieve significant results. We also noted that there was a huge difference between the prices of the 'All-Inclusive' system then and now. We predicted that a room sold at price X this year would be sold at price X-1 or X-2 in the coming years, which would put us in a competitive environment with other destinations or regions of the country. Today, we see that our hotelier colleagues are suffering due to the lack of balanced pricing within this system. The Minister of Tourism’s statement about gradually reducing this system starting from 2028 is an indication of this. The 'All-Inclusive' system is not only harming local businesses but also hotel operators. The calculations, costs, exchange rates, and sales plans are not at the desired level, and they have reached a point of financial loss. The 'All-Inclusive' system may continue to be applied as a system and product in our country, but we believe that certain standards need to be established and that sales should be made above certain prices to ensure service quality. Back then, the 'All-Inclusive' system was implemented in
all small hotels and apartments in Alanya, which unfortunately harmed especially the food and beverage sector and other local businesses, and tourists who planned to vacation without leaving the hotel did not contribute at all. We hope that the efforts of the Tourism Minister will lead to the establishment of certain standards and restrictions for the 'All-Inclusive' system in the future, which would positively affect per capita spending and make a significant contribution to the country's economy.”
The "All-Inclusive" System Should Not Be Completely Abolished
Şükrü Cimrin, a board member of the Turkish Tourism Promotion and Development Agency (TGA) and the Alanya Tourism and Promotion Foundation (ALTAV), stated, “As far as I know, there is currently no work being done on the 'All-Inclusive' system by the Ministry of Tourism. The 'All-Inclusive' system, which was introduced to Turkish tourism years ago, has become a strong product. It is one of the systems we implement more successfully compared to other countries globally. The 'All-Inclusive' system is heavily debated. For example, issues like wastefulness are frequently discussed, with tourists spending more time in the hotel and less time in the city, which leads to uneven income distribution. Personally, I am against completely abolishing the 'All-Inclusive' system. I believe we should improve this system instead. Currently, about 85% of tourists coming to the Antalya region purchase package tours that include transfer, flights, and hotel services. Around 95% of these tourists prefer the 'All-Inclusive' system. Many tourists who book individually through online platforms or booking.com also choose 'All-Inclusive' packages. If we suddenly abolish the 'All-Inclusive' system, we risk losing 50-60% of tourists coming in the summer period.”
What Should Be Done?
Cimrin suggests, “Certain standards should be established for the system. It should be clearly defined which establishments can offer 'All-Inclusive' services and in which regions this service can be applied. In a free market economy, the strong party is the tour operators, while the weak party is the hotels. Tour operators impose the 'All-Inclusive' system on hotels, weakening their ability to exit the system. For hotels to make this change, they need strong financial resources and financial structures. Unfortunately, this is not the case. Hotels are often institutions that operate on loans, do not have high profit margins, and collect payments long after guests check out. There is even the possibility that some of this money may be lost. It would be great if the ministry could set standards. For example, if criteria like distance from the city center, star rating, and buffet standards were established, we could start to gradually move away from the 'All-Inclusive' system. I do not think we will completely abandon the 'All-Inclusive' system. There is talk of increased wastefulness, but in reality, there are many standards in place to minimize waste. Buffets weigh and send waste to animal shelters, and waste is managed in various ways. Hotels are very careful about this because increased wastefulness indicates higher costs for hotels.”
Sales Will Increase if We Move Away from the "All-Inclusive" System
Cimrin attributes the rise in hotel prices to inflation and increased costs, saying, “In the past two years, especially due to inflation and cost increases, our sales prices have risen. Contrary to what is customary, our prices have come closer to those of Greek and Spanish hotels more than ever before. This price increase has not occurred due to increased awareness and reduced competition among us, or due to a sudden increase in our quality, but entirely due to rising costs. These price increases negatively affect our international competitiveness. Therefore, if we start moving away from the 'All-Inclusive' system, we will be able to start lowering the prices we offer to tour operators. Consequently, our sales will also increase.”
We Are Implementing a Gradual Transition in Our Facility
Cimrin also mentioned that they are conducting experiments with a gradual exit from the 'All-Inclusive' system in their facility: “We have made an agreement called 7-5-5 for the Scandinavian market for next year alongside our 'All-Inclusive' package. This means 7 breakfasts, 5 lunches, and 5 dinners. Lunch and dinner include a drink. We have removed all other details of the 'All-Inclusive' system. Guests will have to pay for everything else. We are testing this package gradually. If it attracts demand, we will consider increasing its quota. However, we are not yet transitioning to bed and breakfast or half-board. Ideally, we would like to move away from the 'All-Inclusive' system towards more economical packages and enhance the spending capability of guests both inside and outside the facility.”
