INTERVAL INTERNATIONAL STRENGTHENS ITS COMMITMENT
IN SOUTH AFRICA
Opens Regional Sales Office in Cape Town
London, 31 May 2011 – Interval International, a prominent worldwide provider of vacation services, continues to strengthen its commitment in South Africa, with the opening of its resort sales and service office in Cape Town and its ongoing support of the Vacation Ownership Association of Southern Africa (VOASA).
Interval established a market presence in 2008 through an exclusive affiliation agreement with SunSwop, the Lifestyle Resorts division of leading hotelier, Southern Sun. Since then, the company has added Zorgvliet Private Residence Club and Mjejane Game Reserve (adjacent to Kruger National Park) to its resort network and opened its regional office. Well-known sales and marketing executives, Dirk Wilson and Jackie Bauermeister, were recently appointed to lead business development initiatives and provide services to existing clients.
“Interval International is proving to be a sought-after partner for established resort developers and new entrants throughout South Africa,” said Darren Ettridge, vice president of resort sales and service for Europe, Middle East, and Africa. “After 35 years in the vacation ownership industry, we’ve differentiated ourselves as visionaries and innovators. We know that each client has varying needs, and we customize our services to suit them.”
"We are extremely pleased with the progress of SunSwop since we switched to Interval International,” said Deon Viljeon, director of operations for Southern Sun Lifestyle Resorts. “Our great partnership is now further enhanced with the opening of Interval's office. Having previously worked with Dirk and Jackie, we are fully aware of the tremendous professionalism, knowledge, and enthusiasm that they will bring to Interval. This announcement underlines our excitement for the growth plans that Interval has within our regional market.”
According to VOASA there are about 200 resorts and approximately 260,000 timeshare owners in the region. South Africa has also recently become the newest member of “BRICS” (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa), the acronym for countries with significant emerging markets.
To capitalise on potential opportunities, last November Interval hosted a series of one-day, Shared Ownership Investment Conferences held in the major centres of Cape Town, Durban, and Johannesburg. These events attracted prospective new developer entrants from across the area. “There is no better way of involving new players in our business than taking the vacation ownership message on the road,” continued Ettridge. “These conferences help to stimulate interest in this key region, and provide a springboard for mutually successful relationships.”
In addition to Interval’s global network of quality vacation ownership resorts, parent company, Interval Leisure Group, also operates Preferred Residences, a hospitality-branded membership and exchange programme for luxury fractional resorts, private residence clubs, and condominium-style hotels. In March, Club Privé at Cape Royale Luxury Hotel and Residence situated in the tree-lined village-in-the city of Green Point, Cape Town, selected the prestigious Preferred Residences programme as its exchange network.
About Interval International
Interval International operates membership programmes 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 35 years. Today, Interval has an exchange network of approximately 2,600 resorts in over 75 nations. Through offices in 15 countries, Interval offers high-quality products and benefits to resort clients and approximately 2 million families who are enrolled in various membership programmes. Interval is an operating business of Interval Leisure Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: IILG), a leading global provider of membership and leisure services to the vacation industry.
