AWARENESS OF TIMESHARING CONTINUES TO GROW
Miami, Florida, March 31, 2009 – Consumers’ awareness of the different forms of timesharing and vacation ownership continues to grow despite the challenges now facing the travel industry. As revealed in the Ypartnership 2009 National Leisure Travel MONITORsm, sponsored in part by Interval International, fully nine out of ten active travelers in America are now familiar with the concept of timesharing. Other key findings relative to vacation ownership: three out of ten active travelers are familiar with the concept of “fixed” or “floating week” ownership, one out of seven is familiar with “fractional vacation ownership,” or “destination club,” and approximately one in ten is familiar with the concept of a “private residence club.”
We’re very encouraged that these findings indicate consumers have an increased understanding of the multiple ways in which they can enjoy the benefits of shared ownership,” noted David Gilbert, executive vice president of resort sales and marketing for Interval International, a leading global provider of vacation services.
Data from the survey also reveal that American travelers continue to view timesharing as a desirable alternative to conventional lodging accommodations while on vacation, with fully one out of seven (15 percent) reporting ownership of vacation time. And although the findings reflect a slight decline from those recorded last year, two in ten state they would be interested in attending a timeshare presentation if they were offered the opportunity to take a “mini vacation” at a timeshare resort and a comparable percentage state they are likely to stay at a timeshare or vacation ownership resort as an alternative to a traditional hotel in the year ahead.
The study’s results reaffirm the inherent appeal of vacation ownership as both a desirable alternative to conventional lodging and a terrific value relative to its cost,” said Peter C. Yesawich, chairman of Ypartnership. “And today, value is king for the consumer.”
The Ypartnership National Leisure Travel MONITORsm is a nationally-representative survey of 1,590 U.S. adults who have taken at least one overnight trip for leisure proposes during the previous twelve months. The closely-watched survey, now in its 19th year, is coauthored by Ypartnership and Yankelovich, Inc.
About Ypartnership
Ypartnership is America’s leading marketing, advertising and public relations agency serving travel, leisure and entertainment clients. Headquartered in Orlando, the agency maintains additional offices in New York, Los Angeles, Honolulu, Vancouver, Mexico City and London.
Visit www.ypartnership.com
About Interval International
Interval International operates membership programs for vacation owners and provides value-added services to its developer clients worldwide. Based in Miami, Florida, the company has been a pioneer and innovator in serving the vacation ownership market for more than 30 years. Today, Interval has a network of over 2,400 resorts in excess of 75 countries and offers its resort clients and nearly 2 million member families high-quality products and programs through 25 offices in 16 countries. Interval is an operating segment of Interval Leisure Group, Inc. (Nasdaq:IILG), a leading global provider of membership and leisure services to the vacation industry.
