Paul Brown of McKinsey Consulting, Rafael Blanco of Bayahibe/La Romana destination, and Fernando Gomez, president of Juan Dolio hotels, feel the all-inclusive have ample room to grow and gave insights into this market segment during the Euromoney Caribbean Investment Forum held in La Romana. Brown envisions a hybrid model will evolve to accommodate more sophisticated travelers. He pointed out that even Disney is moving to the all-inclusive model, while at the same time offering other options to visitors. ?The issue here is to offer options,? he says. ?Allow guests to mix and mingle in the same area. Customers like it quite well. It is about choice.?
Blanco, who is also a spokesman for the Viva Resorts, agrees that the discriminating traveler wants more culture, wants to be able to meet the people, and to be more in tune with the environment of the place he is visiting. He said his company is experimenting in Mexico with including restaurants that are outside their resorts in their packages so that tourists can experience a night on the town. He envisions offering this to guests staying at their Dominican properties in the near future. Furthermore, he says the company is already including more tours, including several ecotouristic type adventures in the pre-paid packages they are selling. The idea is that the visitors can have a more complete island visit experience.
Gomez, also a spokesman for Barcelo properties, the largest all-inclusive operator in the Dominican Republic, feels that the all-inclusive has been evolving in the Dominican Republic. ?Everyday our clients are demanding more variety,? he says. ?They now are into golf tours, and visits to historic sights are tops on the list,? he says emphasizing that the all-inclusive model has evolved considerably since it was introduced some 20 years ago.