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Every summer thousands of Americans stay at home instead of going on holiday because they’re overweight．They don’t want people to see them sunbathing and they don’t want to have to squeeze into plane seats．But now, thanks to the growing number of weight-friendly holiday packages, the overweight are having their days in the sun．
“Overweight people will have a great time on our holidays as we don’t judge them like other people do,”said Liz Nickels, owner of Big Adventures, a US-based company that hosts scuba-diving－a sport of swimming underwater while breathing through a tube connected to a tank on your back for larger people．As a way to keep up with the demand for extra-large accommodation, many hotels in the US have started to offer features such as wide beds and handheld showers．But the best in plus-size vacationing lies at Mexico’s Freedom Paradise, a 112-room resort(度假胜地)opening this month, which urges guests to“Live Large, Live Free”．
The hotel has broad doorways, reinforced(加同)furniture and extra large chairs．It also boasts(自夸)a private beach to protect people from the stares that can occur on public beaches．“It’s not a hotel just for large people．It’s a size-friendly place where anyone can enjoy a holiday,”said owner Jurrian Kilnk。“What we noticed was that a lot of oversized people don’t feel comfortable at resorts．”Staff members of all sizes are hired by the hotel to make overweight people feel OK．
Though many welcome the new service, some feel differently．“I have a real problem with this,”said Nancy Lenhart, owner of Camp La Jolla, a Californian weight-loss and fitness camp．“If you talk about oversized beds and doorways you are throwing their weight in their faces. Overweight people want to be normalized．They shouldn’t be discriminated against like this．”
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