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LETTER FROM CHAIRMAN
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
On AIRDA’s pivotal role in the vacation ownership industry
At public forums, I have often been asked about the various hats that we wear in the management and running of AIRDA. And that’s a tough one to answer because there’s more than one key role that AIRDA plays in enlarging the scope and development of the timeshare and vacation ownership industry in the country.
Among the various roles that we play, representing the industry at the government level is perhaps the most engaging. Because it can take years of active lobbying before you can make an impression. Our efforts with the Ministry of Tourism (MOT) to give the industry its fair share in the sun have been result oriented and we have made visible headway.
The first significant response from the MOT was an approval on the guidelines outlined by AIRDA for the classification of timeshare resorts in India. This enabled resorts affiliated to AIRDA to become eligible under a new classification index. The MOT approval here underlines the emergence of a new dimension in the travel and tourism industry.
Looking back, I see several initiatives seeded by AIRDA in making timeshare a legitimate business model for the tourism industry
- Enabling the inclusion of a timeshare module in the curriculum of National Council of Hotel Management & Catering Technology
- Working with service providers to augment capacity under guidelines outlined by the MOT
- A nomination enabling AIRDA to serve on the audit committee for classification of timeshare resorts.
- Building awareness of programmes conducted by the CII National Committee on Tourism & Heritage, of which AIRDA is an active member.
Current focus areas concentrate on obtaining a parity with hotels for the purpose of incentives, help expand the member base and oversee economic contribution, self regulatory norms and consumer issues.
At an industry mapping level, AIRDA has made a small beginning by conducting two surveys –in Coorg & Uttarakhand. The final report is under evaluation and the results could well establish unexplored opportunities in leisure tourism. It could also help create new job opportunities in regional sectors.
As the timeshare industry in the country moves up the maturity curve, AIRDA will need to review the pros and cons of a self regulatory / legislative model. This will be in the interest of developers and end consumers and help enhance credibility and acceptance for the industry.
A bird’s eye-view of the vacation ownership industry
If we take a look at the macro view, we see a wide range of domain verticals such as fractionals, luxury clubs, condo hotels and destination clubs. We also see a mushrooming of fragmented operations across the country in the form of rentals, condos, shared ownerships, guest accommodation and fractionals.
While this level of hyper-activity adds to the overall size of the industry, growth needs to be organized, quality driven and totally in the interest of the end consumer.
At this point in time, with AIRDA’s background and experience, it is capable of playing a pivotal role in the development, growth and regulation of the industry. A task made easier by the active support of its member resorts who can join hands in giving timeshare what it really deserves.
A bright, sunny future.
B. S. Rathor
Chairman, AIRDA
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