Opinion: Burnt-out young travelers are driving the rise of all-inclusive resorts

SINGAPORE: Forget self-guided tours and DIY vacations – all-inclusive resorts are enjoying a revival.

Viewed once as practical but uninspired Family destinations and all-inclusive resorts – whose nightly rates include accommodation, meals, drinks and activities – attract Gen Z travelers with their modern design and amenities.

In 2024, searches on Hotels.com with the “all-inclusive” filter increased by 60 percent compared to the previous year. In an Expedia Group survey of over 25,000 travelers, 28 percent of travelers said their perception of all-inclusive hotels had improved in the past 12 months, and 64 percent of young travelers had stayed at an all-inclusive hotel stayed overnight.

Social media is also generating interest, with TikTok’s #allinclusive hashtag appearing in around 200,000 posts worldwide.

Travelers considering all-inclusive hotels avoid big cities in favor of beachfront accommodations, spas and food. This is related to the increase in detour destinations where travelers add a detour when visiting major cities, such as Krabi, Thailand (detour from Phuket), Fukuoka, Japan (from Tokyo), and Reims, France (from Paris).

So what’s driving the increasing interest in all-inclusive stays?