As the holiday club is on the brink of folding, 18-30 blames the trend of 'ego travel'. Photo / 123rf
As the holiday club is on the brink of folding, 18-30 blames the trend of 'ego travel'. Photo / 123rf
For the British package company Club 18-30, it looks like the summer of love is over.
18-30 is famous for its raunchy package holidays for young adults, and memorable advertising slogans "It's not all sex, sex, sex. There's a bit of sun and sea as well".
The owners Thomas Cookhave signaled an end to the party and are looking to sell the infamous travel club.
At their peak 18-30 promise of "cheap clubbing holidays" kept European party islands of Kavos and Ibiza afloat. It has been seen as a right of passage enshrined in popular culture and films such as The Inbetweeners and Kevin and Perry Go Large.
No other event has quite informed the image of the British tourist abroad like the 17-to-30-something package holiday.
Brits abroad, young English people at a pool party, Club 18-30 Ibiza, 2001. Photo / Getty Images
As the youth market moves towards what Thomas Cook have damningly called "ego travel", it appears this new social-media obsessed travelers are killing the club resort. The promise of cheap thrills and cheap booze no longer appeals, and the 18-30 has brand fallen out of fashion. The camera phone has a lot to answer for.
What happens at on Magaluf stays on Magaluf, no longer.
Though it's less a concern of unflattering snaps returning home but more not having the right kind of tastefully composed 'instagrammable' fare.
For millennials "social media posts are a factor when choosing a hotel," says Thomas Cook.
The young adults package holiday has been enshrined in TV and popular culture. Photo / Supplied
In the future the parent company will be moving away from 18-30 style packages and instead focusing on the Cook's Club own-brand hotels with carefully chosen music, food and décor to appeal to the Instagram generation.
"It's our opportunity to demonstrate that Thomas Cook is leading the way in bringing a sense of urban cool to the beach," said Remo Masala, creative director.
The hotels are being designed to be inkeeping with the tasts of this new pretintious breed 17-to-30-something travellers, with accommodation for "single travellers and groups up to six."
The company issued the statement that "We remain committed to Club 18-30 for summer 2018. However, we are exploring options for the future of the brand, which could include the possibility of a sale."
