How Popular Are Timeshares Today?
Today timeshares are a very popular vacation option all over the world.
Though the concept originated in France, the popularity of timeshares has spread slowly but surely the world over. Back home, Florida was the first to jump on to the timeshare bandwagon in the 1970’s before others joined in. The 1980’s saw a growth in the economy empowering people to spend on leisure and consequently timeshares became a popular choice for vacations. As people realized the benefits of timeshare, the concept spread across Europe. The 1990s saw Asian countries also warming up to the idea of timeshares, thus spreading the timeshare concept globally. In 2005, there were nearly 5,400 resorts in more than 100 countries. The popularity of timeshares today can be estimated from the fact that timeshare owners come from over 270 countries. In the US alone the industry has grown by 23.7% between 2002 and 2005 resulting in 4.1 million households owning one or more U.S. timeshares as on January 1, 2006.
The increasing popularity can also be attributed to the fact that today, there is extensive national and international legislation to protect the rights of timeshare buyers. The American Resort Development Association (ARDA) and the Organisation for Timeshare in Europe (OTE) ensure that timeshare is today a well-organized and highly regulated industry in their respective territories.
The RCI was established in 1974 thus bringing in the most coveted advantage of timeshares - flexibility. This along with timeshare properties coming up in all parts of the world, meant that timeshare owners could vacation all over the world. This flexibility offered by timeshares has made them popular, as timeshare owners can customize their vacations to meet their schedules and lifestyles. It is also commonly known that timeshares offer excellent value for money, given the fine quality of accommodation, high comfort levels, choice of amenities etc. The benefits are also spread over the long term, as timeshare owners book their vacations for the next several years at today’s price!
The timeshare industry has become increasingly professional and customer-focused leading to a high satisfaction rate among users. In fact, a study conducted in 2005 indicates that as many as 80.3% of all timeshare owners were satisfied with their timeshare purchase while 75.7% said that owning a timeshare has made them look forward to vacations.
Timeshares cater to the changing lifestyles, need for variety and flexibility that characterizes the typical vacationer, the world over. It comes as no surprise then that the popularity of timeshares today is at a never before high and it seems set to grow steadily, if not exponentially, in the future.
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Growing Popularity of Timeshare Ownership Looking Into Selling, Buying or Renting Timeshares Only? Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=John_Apple |