Belgians are increasingly eager to find accommodation where children are not allowed, La Dernière Heure reports.
Many travel agencies now proudly offer adults only accommodation. Major tour operator TUI says that child-free accommodation now makes up around 15% of its portfolio.
“We think that the demand is growing all the time. It’s increasing by nearly 3% each year… In 2019, we were at 12% for this kind of offer. In general, these are hotels that have one part open to everyone and another reserved for adults, but there are also establishments that are totally aimed at adults,” Sarah Suacin, spokesperson for TUI, told DH.
The majority of these adult-only destinations are found in traditional sunny tourist destinations, such as the Balearic Islands and the Mediterranean, but are also now springing up across France, Italy, the Caribbean and even Thailand. Adults-only hotels also exist in Germany.
These hotels are most popular with Europeans over the age of 50, but tour agent Sunweb has seen an increase in demand for over 30s as well. Adults-only hotels will often offer a range of activities not found in family resorts, such as private spas and calm activities.
There is however a catch: adults-only sections in hotels tend to be significantly more expensive than regular ones. DH believes that this can even be up to €350 more expensive in some cases. This is a cash cow for hotels and tourism companies. Adults-only travellers tend to eat more, drink more, and take part in paid activities.
These offerings attract not only couples, but also groups of friends, of all ages. “We’ve noticed that it's mainly people aged 50 and over who are using it, but there are also a lot of childless couples who want to spend some quality time together,” Saucin concluded.
