TATOC, the Timeshare Association, today announced that sponsorship for the annual conference, taking place from 9^th-11^th March at the Park Royal Hotel, Stretton, near Warrington, has gone beyond the board’s expectations.

“We have been delighted and surprised at the huge level of support shown by the industry for the annual conference,” explained Harry Taylor, executive chairman. “The conference is always well supported and attended but this year, with such difficult economic conditions, we were aware that sponsorship might be affected. We needn’t have worried.”

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TATOC announced today that the popular timeshare resort Pergola Club Hotel & Spa located on the holiday island of Malta is the latest resort to join the Association.

Located in the picturesque village of Mellieha with views of the bay and the islands of Gozo and Comino Pergola Club Hotel is close to the centre of the village’s main street. Shops, banks, restaurants and bars are just a two-minute walk away. The largest and most beautiful sandy beach in Malta is just 1km away from the village.

The resort consists 52 apartments and 30+ hotel rooms over seven floors with a restaurant, bar, Internet cafe, games room and kiddies’ room.

Facilities at the resort include an indoor heated swimming pool, two outdoor pools with a children’s paddling pool, fitness centre, Jacuzzi and sun terraces with views over the village, valley and bay. The Da Vinci Spa provides an extensive range of health, beauty and well-being treatments.

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TATOC, the Timeshare Association, has announced that two major changes to the Board were approved by members at its recent Annual General Meeting held on 13^th March 2011.

Mr Harry Taylor, previously Chief Executive Office, is to take up the position of Executive Chairman and will replace the current Chairman Mr David Eastburn.

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Television Programming Helps Worldwide Timeshare Hypermarket Lead the Resale Market

Worldwide Timeshare Hypermarket, Europe’s leading timeshare resale company, is blazing a trail for televising programs about timeshare. First, the company partnered with TATOC, the Timeshare Association, to broadcast a 30-minute informational program that aired on the Travel Channel. Now, Worldwide  Timeshare Hypermarket is creating 60-minute programs that focus on the offerings from particular timeshare resort developers. First up: Macdonald Resorts.

This past November, Worldwide Timeshare Hypermarket joined together with TATOC, the Timeshare Association, to launch their first television broadcast, “Timeshare – History in the Making” – a 30-minute program explaining all the benefits associated with owning a timeshare – which has aired multiple times on both the Travel Deals Direct channel (Sky 647) and the Travel Channel. The program also is available to view on demand at www.traveldealsdirect.com.

“Timeshare – History in the Making” is split into several sections covering all aspects of timesharing and is interspersed with footage of typical timeshare resorts located on the Costa del Sol (Club La Costa, Marina del Sol), Cyprus (Paradise Kings Club) and Scotland (Macdonald Hotels & Resorts, Forest Hills).

Here’s an excerpt from the segment on Macdonald Forest Hills: “Forest Hills lochside resort is beautifully set in landscaped gardens and woodland on the shores of Loch Ard, ideal for exploring the magnificent Trossachs, Scotland’s first national park.” While any brochure or website can relay flowery prose and descriptive words, there is no substitute for the complementary video footage of Forest Hills and environs that accompanies them.

The broadcast also explains how exchange programs and memberships work, detailing the concepts of banking, trading and even bonus weeks and cruise exchange.

The presentation is the result of a combined effort between Philip Watson, managing director of Worldwide Timeshare Hypermarket and Harry Taylor, the CEO for TATOC. Throughout the half-hour, Taylor offers his insight on things such as management fees and the beauty of being able to exchange worldwide. He also shares his experiences as a timeshare owner. What’s more, Taylor explains the basic premise of timeshare so that even someone without any timesharing experience can understand.  The idea behind the show is to educate people about timesharing in the comfort of their own homes.

This special program was the first of what is to be many, says Watson. And now, he says, Worldwide Timeshare Hypermarket is introducing longer programming, announced in December 2009 at The FORUM event in London, with Macdonald Hotels & Resorts as the first client to participate. Rather than focus on just one Macdonald property, the show will be much broader. “We will create either two half-hour programs or an hour-long program that will promote Macdonald in total,” explains Watson, “so you would have all their hotels, their resorts and their rental program – and maybe even a fly-buy program in there – so that you’re concentrating on one group of resorts” and all that they have to offer.

Of course, by the time you read this, Worldwide Timeshare Hypermarket may have already finalized additional deals to create further 60-minute television specials. “We’re also discussing the possibility of creating such an hour-long program with Club La Costa and one or two other major groups,” Watson says, noting that another program launch is likely for March.

Key to all this is Worldwide Timeshare Hypermarket’s relationship with television outlets; while any decent marketing agency could create a video, Worldwide Timeshare Hypermarket’s agreement with the appropriate channels and networks turns a video into an actual television program. “We’ve increased the sponsorship contract with the Travel Channel for a further year,” says Watson. “We’re in discussions with Sky Travel at the moment to do exactly the same thing, but I can’t say any more than that at present.”

The Worldwide Timeshare Hypermarket Difference
Worldwide Timeshare Hypermarket is proud to be one of the market leaders in secondary timeshare resales, providing to both buyers and sellers a very safe and professional service. With Worldwide Timeshare Hypermarket’s parent company being a developer, they have found from experience that among some of the main reasons why people do not buy timeshare direct from the developer is either the product is too highly priced for them, or they do not like the sales tactics/environment used.

Therefore when it came to resales, Worldwide Timeshare Hypermarket take a step back and allow both the buyer and the seller to approach them, which leaves buyers and sellers feeling relaxed and in control. Under no circumstances does Worldwide Timeshare Hypermarket cold call, so the client never feels under pressure from the staff at any time.

Instead, the company advertises extensively on international and national television and in the press, which means the client first has to call if they wish to either purchase or sell a timeshare. Worldwide Timeshare Hypermarket is then able to offer a full service for clients from beginning to end. The company advertises sellers’ weeks in the press as well as on their website; once a buyer is found, Worldwide Timeshare Hypermarket completes the transfer on the seller’s behalf, taking all the hassle out of having to sell privately.

For the purchaser, Worldwide Timeshare Hypermarket determines which product would suit their requirements and budget – and again, the company conducts a full transfer service where all the client needs to do is sit back, relax and when they become the legal owner enjoy their timeshare along with the family.

All monies are held in trust by Resort Fiduciary Services until the transfer is complete so the client knows they can relax happy with the knowledge that their money is safe until they become seen as the legal owner. Worldwide Timeshare Hypermarket does not take deposits and allows a full 14-day cooling off period; should the potential client be unable to afford the cost up front, Worldwide Timeshare Hypermarket is able to assist them with membership to WorldWide Plus, which is a club card allowing them to purchase with 6 months interest free and nothing to pay for 6 months.

Afterwards they can use this card on a similar basis to purchase further Worldwide Timeshare Hypermarket products if they wish. This club card is supplied by H.M.C Funding and Barclay Partner Finance – Worldwide Timeshare Hypermarket was the first European timeshare company to be offered this product.

Being a member of RDO (Resort Development Organization, which formerly was OTE/Organisation for Timeshare in Europe) is integral to Worldwide Timeshare Hypermarket’s beliefs and methods of working. RDO has provided a solid framework upon which Worldwide Timeshare Hypermarket has built a  professional and efficient procedure in assisting their customers, be they buyers or sellers, and this provides those customers with the confidence that they deserve when they are dealing with a reputable and trustworthy organization.

Macdonald Hotels & Resorts is the first shared-ownership developer to take advantage of Worldwide Timeshare Hypermarket's 60-minute TV programming offer

RDO not only ensures that its member companies are operating correctly, but it also works tirelessly to promote the image of timeshare throughout Europe. In this regard Worldwide Timeshare Hypermarket shares a common purpose and they are extremely proud of their involvement with RDO. They are also proud to add to the company’s close association with TATOC, whom they support and assist in every way that they can.

Future Collaborations
“I think it is absolutely vital that resale companies and developers have a good working relationship and provide a good level of service for their customers, both old and new,” Watson says. “This is one of the key reasons why I am always looking at ways to improve the developer’s understanding of who we are and how we operate.” In addition to the television programming, Watson says that another result of this has been Worldwide Timeshare Hypermarket’s “Indulgence” trial membership package, which allows the company to tap into the large market of new-to-timeshare customers while providing good quality leads to their partner developers.

“Other than this mutually beneficial relationship, it is key that we work closely with both the developers and trustees when we are processing a transfer of ownership and the flow of information between all parties involved and a speedy and efficient process serves to enhance our reputation and that of the resort,” notes Watson.

“We also offer wholesale purchases for developers and marketers; in some instances certain resorts have the ability, through using our stock, to sell additional exchange member resort week(s) to exchange members when they exchange onto their resorts, which works very well,” he says. “We can also come to arrangements with developer resorts that take in exchange weeks through their sales teams whereby we can take these weeks off their hands.”

For more information about creating a television program about your resort(s) or otherwise working with Worldwide Timeshare Hypermarket, call +44 870 443 1466 or visit www.timeshare-hypermarket.com.

About Worldwide Timeshare Hypermarket
Worldwide Timeshare Hypermarket is a highly professional company with an excellent reputation for customer care. We have been trading in timeshare resales for more than 12 years and currently have the largest database of timeshare weeks available, plus a long waiting list of buyers who are eager for specific weeks when they become available.

Our European Headquarters are located in Bournemouth, Dorset in the United Kingdom, so we conduct our business strictly in line with the Timeshare Act of 1992. We specialize in matching buyers to sellers and handle over 1000 such transactions each and every week, so when you are dealing with us, you can rest assured that you are dealing with the best in the business.

When buying through Worldwide Timeshare Hypermarket, you can be sure that you are in safe hands, with full protection provided. Your monies are deposited in an escrow account, administered by Resort Fiduciary Services Ltd. This means that no funds will be released until title has been transferred to the purchaser’s name, ensuring both parties to the agreement of sale are fully protected at all times.

We are full members of Resort Development Organisation (RDO), the governing body for timeshare in Europe. This association allows us to offer a safe and professional service to all our clients, ensuring that all legal obligations are adhered to every step of the way.

We are also Platinum Affiliates with TATOC the Timeshare Owners Association that is run on behalf of Timeshare owners by Timeshare owners.

Merlin Software is delighted to announce that its new benefit for TATOC’s resort members and affiliates will be launched this weekend at the TATOC Conference 26th-28th March at the Belfry in Nottingham, UK.

The new benefit consists of a free assessment of a resort’s current technology and a guide on the latest resort-based technology that is now available. By completing a simple questionnaire the Merlin team will assess how a resort is using technology in its daily activities and make suggestions on how the latest technology can improve procedures and operations, lower costs and streamline activities. The benefit is available to all TATOC resort members and affiliates.

Merlin’s chief developer Mike Pnematicatos explains: “Many resorts feel they are too small or mature to use the latest technologies but this simply isn’t the case.  Everyone can benefit and you don’t need to be a computer geek to understand them. A simple change or addition can save a resort a considerable sum of money every year and add new services for members to enjoy”.

TATOC already uses the services of Merlin to support the activities of the Helpline, provide statistics and reports and assist with the marketing and promotion of the Association. Harry Taylor, CEO, said “We were looking for software that could handle every aspect of our business including the Helpline. We are now able to run everything on one system rather than using multiple programmes”.

Merlin’s software is delivered directly to users through the internet, is very resource light and easy to use. It covers all aspects of a timeshare operation from maintenance fee collections and accounts to inventory control and reservations. Merlin can also interact with a resort’s website to offer online services such maintenance fee payments and rentals.

Merlin will be attending the upcoming TATOC conference on 26th -28th March and questionnaires will be issued during this time. Resort members and affiliates who are not able to attend will receive their questionnaires by email after the event.

TATOC members enjoy a number of membership benefits including timeshare industry news and information, survey results, case studies and general legal and accounting advice.

For further information, please visit Merlin at www.quickmerlin.com. For further information on TATOC, please visit www.timeshareassociation.org

Background
Merlin Software for Vacation Ownership has been developed by Mike Pnematicatos who has over 25 years experience in the timeshare industry in sales, marketing and resort management.

Using the latest web technology, Merlin is the complete software package for today’s hospitality industry and can handle all types of timeshare and holiday product.

Merlin Software incorporates modules for sales, marketing and front and back office, and its software architecture is inherently flexible. As Merlin is served over the Internet there is no requirement for any expensive communication links or set up fees and can be accessed from wherever there is an Internet connection.

TATOC, a non-profit company, was formed in 1989 to act as a networking group for the appointed members of timeshare owners’ committees. Today the Association has 70 resort members representing over 250,000 timeshare owners across Europe and is sponsored by some of Europe’s leading timeshare businesses.

Contact details
For more information on Merlin Software for Vacation Ownership contact Mike Ashton on +44 (0) 7753 910788 or by e-mail at mikea@quickmerlin.com

For more information on TATOC, The Timeshare Association contact Harry Taylor on +44 (0) 161237 3611 or by e-mail at harry.taylor@timeshareassociation.org.

TATOC, a non-profit company, was formed in 1989 to act as a networking group for the appointed members of timeshare owners’ committees. Today the Association has 70 resort members representing over 250,000 timeshare owners across Europe and is sponsored by some of Europe’s leading timeshare businesses.

One of its most important activities is the free Consumer Helpline which operates from the organisation’s head office in Manchester, United Kingdom. The Helpline takes over 600 calls and 80 emails per month from consumers looking for assistance and information. It has been estimated that the Helpline has saved consumers over £1 million.

The Association required a software solution that could support the activities of the Helpline, provide the necessary statistics and reports and assist with the marketing and promotion of the Association. Harry Taylor, CEO, said “TATOC is growing all the time and the Helpline is proving to be a great success. So we were looking for software that was flexible to handle every element of our operation. The added bonus is that Merlin comes with a full accountancy package so we will be able to run everything on one system rather than using multiple programmes”.

Chief software developer Mike Pnematicatos, a veteran of the timeshare industry said “Merlin caters for all types of business in the timeshare industry and we were delighted to assist such a worthwhile organisation. Working with Harry and the team has led to the development of additional functionality which all our clients will benefit from”.

Martine Pnematicatos, Merlin’s European Operations Director said “Merlin’s flexibility and ease-of-use is ideal for TATOC. We can support the activities of the Helpline while providing TATOC with marketing and accounting software to help them run the Association on a daily basis. They can communicate with consumers, collect membership fees, undertake marketing to generate new members and account for all of this activity”.

Board director and project co-ordinator Geoff Chapman added “Just as the original Merlin was to King Arthur – every indication is that Merlin will prove to be our very own ‘wizard’, and will enable the Helpline to provide an even better service to consumers.”

Developed as state of the art Business Application Software, Merlin is served across the internet and users simply access it securely via a web browser from anywhere at any time. This means that frequent traveller Harry Taylor will be able to access the system wherever he is to view the progress of the team.

Merlin is the leading industry software provider using the technology of Cloud Computing to deliver software direct to an internet browser.  Merlin is resource light, incredibly intuitive and allows unlimited users and multiple locations to access the software securely in real time from anywhere in the world. It enables resorts and hotels to benefit from time and cost savings – yet still be at the cutting edge of internet technology.

Contact details
For more information on Merlin Software for Vacation Ownership contact Mike Ashton on, email at mikea@quickmerlin.com  or visit www.quickmerlin.com to arrange a full demo.

European Seminar Included Timeshare Professionals and Owners for Frank Discussions

Late September 2009 saw Dial An Exchange host a controversial seminar titled Timeshare Stripped Bare. The venue was the picturesque Barnsdale Hotel & Country Club timeshare resort, located in the middle of England’s smallest county and nestled on the banks of Rutland Water – and arguably one of the most popular resorts in the UK.

The seminar saw a unique combination, with timeshare industry professionals and timeshare owners invited to attend. Some industry insiders even expressed nervousness at involving owners in sensitive discussions on some of the industry’s biggest challenges and most controversial subjects.

As the conference proceedings unfolded though, it became clear that there were no grounds for such concerns. The event attracted an intimate but engaged group, consisting of some of the major players within the timeshare industry, resort committee members and individual timeshare owners who were keen to hear what the experts predicted for the future of timeshare.

The seminar was organized and moderated by David Lilley of Dial An Exchange and supported by parent DAE Live, representatives of which had journeyed from Australia to support the event.

Given the provocative title to the seminar, independent observers could have been forgiven for thinking the event was being staged to attack and undermine the timeshare industry. This was definitely not the case.

Lilley made a point of drawing out the many positive experiences that timeshare extends to its customers, and despite the fact that there were many disgruntled owners in the audience, when Lilley asked his ritual question about the levels of satisfaction that owners get from the product, many hands were raised in acceptance of the undisputed fact – that when timeshare is sold and serviced correctly, it is a wonderful product.

Lilley kicked off the seminar with a typically forthright appraisal of the challenges the timeshare industry in Europe faces. The concerns raised in Lilley’s opening address were emphasized and quickly justified by the opinions expressed by three of the business delegates in attendance.

When Lilley asked the question What percentage of timeshare owners in Europe wish to exit?, however, the weighted answer from the three knowledgeable people in their opinion was a remarkable 50%.

Legislative Issues
Following on from the opening introduction, Geoff Chapman, a director of TATOC, delivered an interesting and precise summary of TATOC’s work to support timeshare owners. Chapman presented a variety of statistics sourced from the existence of the TATOC help line. The most pertinent parts of Chapman’s presentation centered on where consumer issues originate from, with bogus resale companies and holiday clubs being the biggest issues.

Simon Jackson, managing director of Macdonald Resorts, shared his views on the subject of product repositioning and new product development. Jackson has already developed a reputation as an executive who would happily engage in a united alliance to tackle the industry’s biggest challenges, but with the seeming absence of such initiatives, he is clearly prepared to pioneer new activities. This was evidenced by the Macdonald 5 Year Holiday Product, which was very well received, commended by all members of the audience and described as the product of the future.

One of the most memorable presentations of the seminar came from Ramy Filo, chairman of DAE Live and CEO of Classic Holidays. Filo revealed that the Australian timeshare market is somewhat ahead of Europe in many areas.

Australia already has a sales certification platform and a clear appetite to create products that have appeal to the customer. One of the most poignant messages that emerged from all the speakers on display was Filo’s simple but powerful statement: “The way I see it, we have products and we have customers. If the products are not appealing, we need to change the products because we cannot keep changing the customers.”

Phil Watson, managing director of Worldwide Timeshare Hypermarket, gave a lively and frank discourse on the subject of resales. Watson encouraged owners to be less clumsy in handing over money to companies that make unsolicited cold calls and stated that members wishing to relinquish their ownership needed to be realistic about the value of their timeshare.

Watson shared some examples of his company’s media work and his personal attempts to change the perception of timeshare by embracing some of the more expensive but higher impact advertising vehicles, such as television.

New timeshare legislation is set to have a profound impact on the timeshare industry in Europe. Alex Radford, a solicitor from leading law firm Irwin Mitchell, gave a condensed and layman’s term summary of the EU legislation that becomes active in 2010.

In the audience debate that followed Radford’s speech, it became clear that whilst there are some commendable elements to the new legislation, other parts of it could be described only as a suppressant to reasonable and honest business. The total ban on any form of deposit, for example, is a restriction that is not placed on too many other industries around Europe.

Maintenance-Fee Defaults
The subject of increasing maintenance fees and the growing trend toward court action for defaulting owners was expected to create fierce debate. The reality, however, was that there was quite a degree of empathy and understanding toward those developers who now see it as necessary to take defaulters to court.

Martin Beesley is one of the few respected timeshare resort developers in Europe. He boldly took to the floor to explain why his two resorts (Fairways Club in Tenerife and Pueblo Evita on the Costa del Sol) had this year started to take court action against defaulters. Beesley explained that those owners who were choosing to default were simply placing an increased liability on the remaining members of the club, and this served only to compound the challenge of suppressing maintenance fee increases.

Beesley also pointed out that the bogus holiday pack companies seem to regard the owners at resorts where court action was not being taken as easy prey for their fraudulent products.

In summarizing the maintenance fee session, Lilley drew out a diagram to explain the consequences of taking court action versus those of doing nothing.

Whilst Lilley made the point that he personally had very mixed views on the subject of taking owners to court, the audience offered little resistance to the suggestion that court action, when thoroughly considered from a holistic viewpoint, was not necessarily as negative as some owners would suggest.

Other Noteworthy Presentations
One of the more eagerly anticipated speeches was delivered by Matthew Moody, former head of Revenue Management at RCI Europe. Moody covered the subject of trading power and had the business delegates transfixed at the complexity of the subject.

Paul Mattimoe of Perspective International took the delegates through a chronological summary of his company’s evolution, his survey on timeshare owners and general attitudes toward timeshare. He also shared the objectives of their two magazines. Mattimoe has broken many perception barriers with his new consumer magazine, Owners Perspective, arranging distribution deals that include the likes of British Airways’ First Class Lounges worldwide, more than a dozen similar airline, hotel and resort agreements, and respected UK supermarket chains such as Tesco’s and Sainsbury’s.

Consistently growing at a rapid rate and currently reaching more than 50,000 consumers a month, the magazine is attracting advertising support from many major hospitality brands and leading developers around the world.

TATOC Chief Executive Harry Taylor concluded his short interview with David Lilley to publicly recognize the work that David had done to support TATOC over the past few years with the award of six bottles of fine wine.

Veteran Sutton Hall resort chairman Neville Greenwood, with 18 years on his resort’s committee behind him, shared some insight into the trends that he has observed over the years, particularly in relation to  repossessed weeks and the methods his resort use to get them back into ownership.

The concluding session of the seminar was on the subject of sales certification.

The panel of the speakers and other business delegates all agreed that a sales certification platform would benefit European timeshare but this really needed to be backed by the authorities and enforced, for it to have any major impact and sustained value.

Under the spotlight of scrutiny and some heavy criticism for daring to cover such sensitive subjects in such a public way, Dial An Exchange emerged with strong credibility after tackling such thorny subjects. The comments made on timeshare owner forums has already justified and confirmed the value in such events. Timeshare owners want to see their issues discussed and debated with a solution-focused attitude.

With such a positive response and some useful networking sessions for the business delegates, you can expect that the next event will have at least a few more attendees – and draw even more attention.

David Lilley chooses to leave Dial An Exchange
While no announcement was made at the event, it transpires that the Timeshare Stripped Bare event was Lilley’s last public performance as Managing Director of Dial An Exchange Europe.

While working for DAE, Lilley had continued to operate his own marketing company (www.marketinginnovations. co.uk) since 2007.

When asked about his reasons for leaving DAE he commented: “Philip Green (the owner of DAE) and I decided we did not want to make an announcement about my departure at the seminar because we did not want to take the focus away from the objectives of the seminar.

I’ve had an enjoyable two years at DAE. I think they are a terrific, customer-focused company and Philip and I part as friends. Indeed, I will still be doing some work for DAE in 2010 at two of their members Roadshows, as well as organizing and moderating another business seminar. I will also continue to be editor of their
Holiday Access Magazine.

My decision to leave DAE was purely that I wanted to explore other business opportunities and dedicate more time to some of my personal business projects. These projects include a specific rental service for owners at independent resorts called Rent Your Week and a rescue package called Resort Rescue for resorts that find themselves in financial difficulties.”

David Lilley can be reached at +44 (0)7872 13 13 14 or visit www.marketinginnovations.co.uk

Brand New ‘Timeshare – History in the Making’ Explains Benefits, Showcases Resorts

TATOC, the Timeshare Association, and Worldwide Leisure Group have joined together to launch “Timeshare – History in the Making” – a 30-minute programme explaining all the benefits associated with owning a timeshare – which will début tomorrow on the Travel Deals Direct channel (Sky 647) and air on the Travel Channel (Sky 251) subsequently.

The Travel Channel will first air the program at 9am on 7th November and then Travel Deals Direct, a shopping channel and sister station of digital television’s Travel Channel, will broadcast the special at 1.30pm on Saturday afternoon. It will be repeated throughout November on both channels, as well as being available to view on demand at www.traveldealsdirect.com.

The programme is split into several sections covering all aspects of timesharing and is interspersed with footage of typical timeshare resorts located on the Costa del Sol (Club La Costa, Marina del Sol), Cyprus (Paradise Kings Club) and Scotland (Macdonald Hotels & Resorts, Forest Hills). The broadcast also explains how exchange programmes work.

The presentation is the result of a combined effort between Harry Taylor, the CEO for TATOC, and Philip Watson of Worldwide Leisure Group. Throughout the half-hour Harry offers his insight on things such as management fees and the beauty of being able to exchange worldwide. He also shares his experiences as a timeshare owner. The idea behind the show is to educate people about timesharing in the comfort of their own homes.

This special programme is intended to be the first of many; other established developers, such as Devere Hotels & Resorts, are already showing interest in being part of future programming.

For more information on joining this initiative contact:
Phil Watson ~ Managing Director
Worldwide Timeshare Hypermarket
Tel: +44 (0)871 781 6 781
Mob: +44 (0)7770 498349
Email: philw@wwlg.co.uk

A European survey that reveals 87 per cent of owners are satisfied with their timeshare is a powerful, credible and ringing endorsement of the growing popularity of holiday ownership.

According to The Timeshare Association, TATOC, the study also heralds a sea change in public perceptions of timeshare while recognising it as an integral part of the global travel and tourism industry.

An independent consumer body, TATOC – the Timeshare Association (Timeshare Owners and Committees) -is run by timeshare owners for timeshare owners.
Based on a detailed questionnaire completed by 33,000 respondents in 12 different countries, the survey also showed the majority of owners rated their timeshare experience over other self-catering holidays.
In 2007 more than 1.5million European households owned timeshare.  The UK & Ireland has the largest market share with close to 600,000 owners, followed by Germany and Italy.

The findings are a key element of a comprehensive study by The Christel DeHaan Tourism and Travel Research Institute, based at the Business School in the University of Nottingham.
Harry Taylor, TATOC chief executive, says the survey is the most comprehensive and detailed in a decade, reflecting the widespread recognition of timeshare as a viable and valued holiday product.

In rating timeshare, owners cited quality of accommodation, exchange opportunities and the credibility of the resort vendor as the most important factors in their decisions to buy.
Based on 2007 data, there are 1,312 timeshare resorts in Europe – most are in Spain where there are more than 350.  The UK, Portugal and Italy each has more than 100.

In 2008, TATOC bolstered its resort membership by 20 per cent, accounting for some 300,000 timeshare owners.
Mr Taylor said:  “Timeshare is an affordable way of having a shared ownership in a holiday home.  I am confident the UK will continue to lead the way in boosting its expansion and popularity in Europe.”
In recent years the shared ownership principle has been applied to new and innovative products and services.  They range from traditional weekly intervals to floating time, points’ programmes, fractional ownership, destination and private residence clubs as well as condo-hotels.