Is All Inclusive responsible tourism?

At least once a day I have a discussion with a customer about staying in an All-Inclusive property and nine times out of ten, it is with a family. Nothing unusual about that I thought until I recently did some training about responsible tourism, and it got me thinking about how responsible All-Inclusive actually is.

In a destination like the Maldives, it makes perfect sense as there are no other alternative options available for dining etc but how about when there are local cafes and restaurants nearby, should the responsibility fall on the hotel to support local people or is this just the way of the modern world? I understand that a hotel is offering a product that customers want but what about what the local community wants?

From a family’s point of view the concept of All Inclusive is great, you have one fixed cost and are happy in the knowledge that you have no further outlay of funds, but how responsible is that of the family to not spread the wealth to local outlets?

One concept that I recently discovered is a hotel offering a credit which customers can use at a nearby restaurant. On the surface this seems like a great compromise, but I’ve not heard this being used in many other places. Another hotel I have heard of, employs local people into a training programme with a job at the end, thereby supporting the local economy via salaries and giving lifelong skills.

Then of course there is the experiential side of tourism. If you stay in a hotel, eat all your meals in a hotel, enjoy the facilities at a hotel, how much do you actually know about the destination that you have just visited? I appreciate that there are an awful lot of people that just want a week in the sun with no worries, but in a modern sustainable world should we be allowed to do that with little thought for the destination we are visiting?

So I guess my question is, is there a responsible future for All-Inclusive & what does it look like?