Resort

Resorts combine a hotel and a variety of recreations, such as swimming pools

A resort is a place used for relaxation or recreation. As a result, people tend to seek out a resort for holidays or vacations. Generally, a resort is run by a single company, which attempts to provide for all or most of a vacationer's wants while staying there, such as such as food, drink, lodging, sports, entertainment, and shopping.

Towns that contain resorts -- or where tourism or vacationing is a major part of the local activity -- are often called resort towns. The term resort is sometimes misused to identify a hotel that does not provide the other amenities required of a resort. However, a hotel is frequently a central feature of a resort.

The Walt Disney World Resort is perhaps the most famous example of a resort in the world, however, resorts exist throughout the world. Resorts are especially prevalent in Central America and the Caribbean.

Contents

1 Types of resorts

1.1 Destination resort
1.2 All-inclusive resort

1.2.1 Pros and cons of all-inclusive resorts

2 Historical resorts
3 See also

Types of resorts

Destination resort

A resort is sometimes called a destination resort. This is a common usage when the facility provides food, drink, lodging, sports, entertainment, and shopping within the facility so that customers have no need to leave the facility once they arrive. Commonly these facilities are of higher quality than would be expected if one were to stay at a hotel or eat in a town's restaurants.

All-inclusive resort

An all-inclusive resort is a resort that, besides providing all of the common amenities of a resort, charges a fixed price that includes most or all items. At a minimum, most inclusive resorts include lodging, unlimited food, drink, sports activities, and entertainment for the fixed price.

Pros and cons of all-inclusive resorts

A frequent critique of all-inclusive resorts is that they do not help the local economy or that they damage the local environment. People who hold this view usually cite the fact that most resorts are located in relatively remote areas away from major local population centres, making it hard for the people staying there to see any local sights or patronize local business. They also say that most resorts are owned and run by large multinational corporations, such as Club Med, Sandals or Hedonism Resorts thus diverting money away from local companies.

Proponents of all-inclusive resorts point to the fact that these resorts usually bring large numbers of visitors to the country, who must travel through local airports and towns to arrive at the resort. They also state that the resorts provide jobs in areas that are economically impoverished and away from the major centres. Resort popularity can sometimes drive up property values to such a degree that the resort workforce cannot afford to live near their workplace, causing the creation of nearby bedroom communities. This phenomenon is especially prevalent near ski resorts in the American West, and resorts in otherwise impoverished nations.

Historical resorts