When did all inclusive holidays become popular?
Caden Denesik
2025-05-03 11:29:53
Count answers: 4
The origins of the all-inclusive hotel can be traced back to the post-World War II era. In 1950, Gérard Blitz, a Belgian entrepreneur and sports enthusiast, founded Club Méditerranée (Club Med) in Alcúdia, Spain. The first Club Med consisted of simple straw huts, but it offered a new kind of vacation experience that quickly gained popularity. Club Med’s success prompted expansion throughout the 1950s and 1960s. By the 1970s, Club Med resorts featured more luxurious accommodations, a wider range of activities, and increasingly sophisticated dining options. In the early 1980s, Jamaican-born entrepreneur Gordon “Butch” Stewart recognized the potential of the all-inclusive model in the Caribbean. By the late 1990s and early 2000s, the all-inclusive model had spread beyond the Caribbean.
Arely Feil
2025-05-03 09:29:50
Count answers: 2
Though some Butlin's holiday camps in the U.K. had offered a similar concept in the 1930s, the modern all-inclusive resort has its origins in the 1950s with the foundation of the Club Med company by Belgian entrepreneur Gérard Blitz. Their first resort was opened in Alcúdia, Majorca, Spain in 1950, where guests stayed in tents and basic straw huts along the beach. The concept has evolved over the decades. All-inclusives in the 1980s and 1990s were generally marketed towards singles, later on becoming more popular with couples and families.
Patrick Bernhard
2025-05-03 09:07:18
Count answers: 2
Businessman Vladimir Raitz pioneered the package holiday in the 1950s with his company, Horizon Holidays, which offered chartered flights taking British holidaymakers on an all-inclusive week to Corsica – a French island in the Mediterranean sea.
In May 1950, Raitz’s company flew 11 passengers – mainly teachers and students – on a converted military plane to a former American airstrip in Corsica, where they stayed in surplus army tents at a makeshift holiday camp.
They paid a total of £32 and 10 shillings – around £944 per person today, according to the Bank of England’s inflation calculator.
The flights plus accommodation formula turned out to be a hit and transformed the way British people holidayed, tempting them away from familiar seaside resorts to Mediterranean beaches.
Package holidays are still a popular choice three-quarters of a century later.
According to the Office for National Statistics, 62% of all holidays booked are all-inclusive.
This is up 5% in the past two years and has risen dramatically since 2008 when just 37% chose to book all-inclusive.
According to On the Beach, the popularity of all-inclusive holidays is set to rise further as the Gen Z are getting on board with the holiday type.
All-inclusive holidays have seen a 4% year-over-year rise amongst Gen Z’s, accounting for 55% of bookings, a stat that is steadily increasing, especially with bills rising this April, the holiday company said.
Zoe Harris, chief customer officer at On the Beach, said: ‘The choice is now huge as all-inclusive has rocketed in popularity, and for the last few years is the number one board basis for most people.
Gilberto VonRueden
2025-05-03 07:53:30
Count answers: 2
The first all-inclusives were created by Gerard Blitz in the 1950s, whose aim was to create a place to be happy. The idea that life was made to be enjoyed resounded in the post-war context. Blitz’s goal in founding the all-inclusive company, called Club Med, was to eliminate extra charges that can sour the sweetest of vacations. In the 1970s, Jamaica’s Issa family was inspired by the strength of all-inclusive cruises and Club Med Villages even in difficult economic times. At first, people were skeptical of this new method of vacationing, especially tour operators and developers. But the success of the all-inclusives was soon too much to ignore, and so came an influx of money towards the development of luxurious resorts worldwide that were built for the new all-inclusive model. It’s been a great 70 years since the founding of that first Club Med.
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