What Is Vacation Ownership?

From its beginnings in the French Alps in the late 1960s, vacation ownership has become the fastest-growing segment of the U.S. travel and tourism industry, increasing in popularity at the rate of nearly 16 percent each year since 1993.

Today, more than three million households own vacation intervals at nearly 4,500 resorts located in 81 countries. Vacationers around the world are turning to vacation ownership resorts as their preferred travel destination. With timeshare owners hailing from 174 countries, North America remains the global leader with nearly half of all the resorts and approximately two million owners. Europe is the second most dominant region for vacation ownership, with approximately 22 percent of owners worldwide and more than 1,000 resorts. Timeshare resorts are found across the globe in popular vacation areas near beaches, rivers and lakes, mountains and even major cities.

What Are The Benefits of Vacation Ownership?

By locking in the purchase price of accommodations, vacation ownership helps to assure future vacations at today's prices at luxurious resorts with amenities, service and ambiance that rival any of the world's top-rated vacation destinations. Through vacation exchange programs, timeshare owners can travel to other popular destinations around the world. With unparalleled flexibility and fully-equipped condominiums which offer the best in holiday luxury, vacation ownership puts consumers in the driver's seat, allowing vacationers to plan and enjoy vacations which suit their lifestyle.

Timeshare resort developers today include many of the world's leading hoteliers, publicly held corporations and independent companies. Properties that combine vacation ownership resorts with hotels, the increasingly popular urban vacation ownership resort in major cities, adventure resorts,and gaming resorts are among the emerging timeshare trends.

The reasons for purchasing most frequently cited by current timeshare owners are the high standards of quality accommodations and service at the resorts at which they own and exchange, followed by he flexibility offered through the vacation exchange opportunities and the cost effectiveness of vacation ownership. Nearly one-third of vacation owners purchase additional intervals after experiencing ownership. This trend is even stronger among long-time owners; 41.2 percent of those who have owned eight years or longer have purchased additional intervals within that time.

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