Your gateway to timeshare in India
All India Resort Development Association
Q&A: What does the man on the street say about “timeshare”
May 2017
The concept of timeshare has gained ground in markets such as Europe and the US – it is extremely popular among younger professionals who achieve a fair work-life balance. Especially those who are in the 28 to 38 age group, where you don’t have to sell the concept of an annual vacation.
To this audience, (and their families) timeshare offers a diverse range of activities and interests during their vacation week – in their home country, and exciting holiday destinations across the globe.
Timeshare is fast becoming the preferred holiday format in India as well - and more people are blocking days on their calendars than ever before. Just look at the photo and image shares on social media sites and you’ll see what a good time they’re having.
But like most hospitality domains, there is a need to widen the market and extend prospect reach. Which means checking on awareness levels of timeshare vacations and the benefits this format can offer you. So we asked the “man on the street” what he, or she understood from the phrase “timeshare”. Was it a bird, was it a bee, was it a butterfly? (Strangely the answers weren’t too far away from that…)
So we basically stopped people at malls, metro stations, movie theatres, shopping areas and popular watering holes. And we asked them this question: What does the word “timeshare” mean to you?
Here are some of the responses – please keep your seatbelts fastened and retain your seat in an upright position.
I think timeshare has something to do with sharing time at a library, or internet parlor – especially if you have limited seats and a lot of people waiting in line. (That’s when you need to really timeshare your resources.)
Isn’t this an app that lets you share things like toys, books, appliances, and things like that? Where you can borrow stuff, use it for a while and place it back in circulation. (Always thought so.)
Timeshare? Is this a concept where I can share my free time helping people? You see, I have the evening free, so I’m giving my neighbor’s baby an evening out in the park. (At our age we have a lot of free time that we can share…)
Not too sure what this means. Is this something to do with a car rental service that’s in the news? If it is, have you got a leaflet for more information? (Do you have a website?)
Has this something to do with sharing resources at college? Cricket kits, hockey gear, and things like that? If it is, I really like the idea. (We don’t really have adequate funds in our sports section.)
I think I know what you might be talking about. Just picked up a young couple from the airport and they were talking about a timeshare vacation in Goa. In fact they were discussing this on the phone with some friends of theirs. (They even invited the friends to join them on their next vacation.)
Well, thank God for curious taxi drivers who are all-ears! They just might spread a good word about timeshare for us. But looking at other responses, the people we spoke to got one thing right – the aspect of “SHARING”. Sharing is what timeshare is all about and we want people to know that timeshare is essentially about vacations and vacation ownership. It’s about having your share of annual holiday space – typically one designated week at your home resort, year after year. (In most cases, for at least 25 years.)
But coming back to the man on the street and what he thinks of timeshare, we think this is a good opportunity to educate people, widen awareness and make them more aware of this wonderful holiday format.
So the next time someone asks you about timeshare, please spend a moment and tell them it’s about happy vacations – and please do share the web address of our website – www.airda.org. There’s a lot of information out here on timeshare, on resorts within the network and how you can get in touch with them. AIRDA is an affiliated member of the American Resort Developers Association.
The All India Resort Development Association (AIRDA) is a self-regulated, independent advisory dedicated to the timeshare and vacation ownership industry. AIRDA’s primary members are resort owners, who benefit from AIRDA’s constructive sharing of ideas and strategies on the running and promotion of timeshare. All members are governed by a common Code of Conduct - AIRDA works closely with member resorts to cut a clean image in the industry and offer fair value to end customers.
AIRDA also represents the industry within government circles on policy issues that could have a bearing on timeshare and vacation ownership in the country.
AIRDA has a balanced end-customer focus and provides updated information on the official website. This covers the timeshare marketplace, advice on making informed choices on vacation ownership and assistance on complaint redressal, if any.
AIRDA is an affiliated member of the American Resort Developers Association.
Virtual ToursWelcome to AIRDA's virtual tours gallery - an initiative to provide an enhanced visual experience of our member properties.
MembershipWhat does an AIRDA membership mean to resort owners and developers? AIRDA comes in as your industry partner, conscience keeper and business catalyst - with a wide portfolio of support services.
What does AIRDA mean to holiday seekers and prospective customers? AIRDA comes in to provide information and offer guidelines on making the right timeshare decisions.
