The Big Question: Does all-inclusive value come at too high a price for the planet?

There’s a common misconception that all-inclusive resorts deter guests from stepping outside the gates of their hotel, preventing them from discovering the destination they’ve travelled to and – crucially – from spending money in shops, restaurants and attractions.

As a Caribbean, family-run business, the communities surrounding Sandals and Beaches Resorts have always been extremely important to us. Our founder, Gordon “Butch” Stewart, was born and bred in Ocho Rios in Jamaica – he grew up in the late 1950s selling fish he’d caught to the luxurious Arawak hotel, now the new Sandals Dunn’s River.

For more than 40 years, we have supported Caribbean communities. Not only by predominantly employing local people across our 15,000-strong workforce and sourcing up to 90% of produce locally, but also by encouraging guests to get out and explore.

Island Routes, Sandals Resorts’ sister company, offers hundreds of excursions through local vendors, from zip-lining in Jamaica to learning how to catch and cook conch in Turks and Caicos. Mini Routes, meanwhile, gives guests the opportunity to drive around Jamaica in convoy, stopping off at sights and restaurants along the way.

In Curacao, Island Inclusive gives guests staying in butler suites a $250 voucher to dine out at a partner restaurant in Willemstad. Vouchers can be used for lunch or dinner, and the hotel provides free transportation. The feedback from guests and the restaurants has been so positive that we’re rolling the programme out to other islands soon.

While “fly and flop” was popular a few years ago, the truth is that most travellers don’t want to just sit on a beach any more. They want to see more, do more and experience more. All-inclusive resorts should be supporting that rather than resisting it.

Karl Thompson is managing director of Unique Caribbean Holidays Ltd.

Sustainability continues to be a priority for travellers as they look increasingly hard at ways to travel responsibly
and how their travel affects local communities. As one of the pioneers of the all-inclusive concept, it’s important for us at Club Med to lead the way on sustainable initiatives as part of our overall Happy to Care programme.

We believe we have a responsibility to work with local communities, whether it’s sourcing talent or buying local to ensure the best experience for our guests and to future-proof local economies and environments. That’s why nearly 94% of jobs created by Club Med are filled locally across our Villages (resorts).

Our Green Farmers programme works with local farmers to supply organic and seasonal ingredients so, on average, 86% of a Village’s purchases (goods and materials) are from suppliers in the country where it operates. As a result, food waste has decreased to an average of 101 grammes of food waste per person and per meal (the size of a kiwi) through optimised stock management, calibrated portions and adapted menu plans.

The same applies internally – we each have a responsibility to ensure our resorts are as sustainable as they can be. From energy and water consumption to waste, it all matters. Initiatives such as eliminating single-use plastic by 50% across 2024 and ensuring that 13-30% of energy/electricity needs come from renewable sources means all of our resorts are Green-Globe certified.

While all-inclusive hotels have certainly progressed over the years, there’s still room for improvement, but we believe that our approach of leading with community and investing in innovation will help to ensure tangible and permanent change.

Nicolas Bresch is managing director UK, Ireland and Nordics at Club Med.

The Big Question is a monthly feature from TTG taking on some of the burning issues facing travel through expert commentary, insight and debate. While it's not designed to be adversarial, it won't flinch from placing a spotlight on some often uncomfortable topics travel – like it or not – will one day have to reckon with.

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