Rosstandart, the state agency responsible for standards in Russia, which is Turkey's main market in tourism, announced that the all inclusive and ultra inclusive standards to be applied in hotels have entered into force as of June 30.
While it is announced that the inclusion of hotels in the system will be voluntary, one of the main differences between the all-inclusive and ultra all inclusive system in the standards is related to unlimited alcohol service. The all inclusive standard stipulates unlimited local drinks, while the ultra all inclusive standard stipulates at least five imported spirits and at least seven cocktails with spirits.
Saying that 15 percent of the hotels in the country can serve in accordance with these standards, Aleksey Volkov, President of the Russian National Association of the Hospitality Industry, told Tourism FM that the issue of whether there is enough alcohol in the country for the standards to be implemented is also open to discussion.
Vadim Prasov, Vice President of the Russian Federation of Restaurant and Hotel Operators, said that the number of hotels with the infrastructure to serve unlimited alcohol is between 200-300.
