2007 Conference Highlights

THE FUTURE LOOKS BRIGHT FOR TIMESHARE IN CHINA

Shanghai Conference highlights potential for timeshare

China is experiencing unprecedented growth in tourism and the hospitality industry has seen many leading brands worldwide entering the burgeoning market. As it is a prime time for industry professionals and investors to tap on this development, in April 2007, the Vacation Ownership Investment Conference was held in Shanghai.

More than 80 people attended the conference held to discuss the potential of timeshare in the region, as well as debate the implementation of timeshare developments across Asia. Among the delegates were senior management from international and regional hotel companies, real estate developers, financial investors and regional tourism authorities and governments.

China: Timesharing is key to tourism

Joe Hickman, Interval International's chief representative for China and executive director Asia Pacific, spoke at the event in Shanghai. "Timesharing has a major role to play in Asia's tourism future" Hickman says. "Timeshare is still in its infancy in Asia and China, but the potential is there. The buzz at the conference focused on that potential and particularly the impact of the hospitality brands, Accor and Marriott who have recently launched Asian clubs," says Hickman.

David Clifton, Interval's Managing Director Europe, Middle East, Africa & Asia explained that timeshare is a highly profitable industry for developers, pointing to financial opportunities. "Timeshare developments have higher year-round occupancies and tend to be more resilient in economic downturns than most hotels. Integrating timeshare segments into mixed-use resorts provides developers with multiple profit centres. The key factor to making timeshare successful is to do it the right way. We hope that the conference demonstrated how to achieve that success," he says.

Speakers included Harold Derrah, Managing Director Marriott Vacation Club International Asia Pacific, George Dutton, CFO, Accor Premiere Vacation Club, Philip Qu, Partner, TransAsia Lawyers, George Wang, Country Manager, Interval Beijing, Tom Bell, Senior VP Interval, Clifton, and Hickman.

Conference sponsors included Accor Premiere Vacation Club, Fountain Vacation Ownership. The endorsers were Horwath HTL, HVS International, Malaysian Holiday Timeshare Developers, Marriott Vacation Club, Pacific Asia Travel Association, Thailand Vacation Ownership Association, Shared International Golf Membership Alliance and TransAsia Lawyers.