Welcome to the AIRDA Newsletter

Greetings from the All India Resort Development Association. As we bring you this latest edition of our newsletter, we take you along a journey that explores new ideas, evolving trends, and strategic insights from India’s vacation ownership and leisure travel space. Whether you're a long-standing member or a resort exploring AIRDA affiliation, this newsletter is your window into a sector that’s adapting, innovating, and growing with purpose.

Each issue is designed to inform and engage stakeholders across the board—resort owners, associates, investors, and policy advocates—who are shaping the future of timeshare and experiential hospitality. We also extend a warm welcome to resorts considering membership, offering a glimpse into the conversations, collaborations, and best practices that define the organized sector in vacation ownership.

Here’s what we’ve lined up for you:

• Industry News – Key updates and observations from the broader landscape of timeshare and hospitality
• Feature Stories – In-depth perspectives on resort operations, sustainability, and emerging hospitality models
• Member Updates – News, initiatives, and community highlights from our member network

We hope this edition sparks ideas, invites reflection, and helps you stay connected to a sector that’s evolving with transparency and responsibility.

Mixed-Use Hospitality Formats in Timeshare

Views from a leading timeshare exchange company

As the Indian hospitality sector adapts to shifting travel patterns and economic pressures, timeshare companies are exploring mixed-use formats to optimize occupancy, diversify revenue streams, and future-proof their operations. These hybrid models—blending timeshare, hotel inventory, fractional ownership, and short-term rentals—offer greater flexibility in managing seasonal demand, workforce stability, and resource utilization.

A key enabler in this evolving landscape is the role of exchange companies, which connect timeshare members to a broader network of resorts and destinations. By facilitating access and expanding choice, exchange platforms enhance the value proposition for members while supporting regional tourism and operational resilience. This article explores how mixed-use strategies, supported by exchange mechanisms can work to your advantage—and how they can be scaled responsibly to protect member interests and foster inclusive growth.

1. Revenue Resilience During Lean Periods
• Mixed-use formats allow resorts to open up unused inventory to short-term guests or corporate bookings during off-peak seasons.
• Dynamic pricing and flexible inventory allocation help stabilize cash flow and reduce dependency on peak-season earnings.
2. Optimizing Facilities and Shared Resources
• Shared amenities—spas, restaurants, activity centers—can be better utilized across guest segments, improving ROI.
• Operational efficiencies in energy use, staffing, and maintenance contribute to sustainability and cost control.
3. Sustaining Workforce Numbers Year-Round
• Consistent occupancy through mixed-use models supports stable employment and reduces seasonal layoffs.
• Staff retention, training continuity, and morale benefit from predictable demand and diversified guest profiles.
4. Protecting Member Access and Investment Value
• Maintaining fair access for primary timeshare members remains essential to uphold trust and long-term value.
• Transparent allocation policies and member-first booking windows reinforce the integrity of the timeshare promise.
5. Expanding the Ecosystem: The Role of Timeshare Exchange Companies
• Global exchange networks such as RCI play a pivotal role by enabling seamless access, managing booking systems, and upholding consistent quality and service standards across affiliated resorts.
• For members, this means broader destination choice, enhanced value, and travel flexibility through exchange participation.
• For resorts, it opens up a new revenue stream and visibility within a trusted guest ecosystem—supporting regional tourism and cross-brand collaboration.
• As a pioneer in global vacation exchange, RCI continues to work with industry partners to expand choice, strengthen member trust, and support the sustainable growth of shared-ownership hospitality in India.
6. Strategic Outlook: Building a Flexible, Inclusive Hospitality Model
• Mixed-use formats could redefine resort development in India, aligning with digital platforms, loyalty programs, and sustainable tourism goals.
• Exchange companies will be instrumental in shaping this future—bridging gaps between independent resorts and timeshare networks, and fostering a more adaptable, collaborative hospitality ecosystem.

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Simple Bharti leads Business Development at RCI India, driving strategic partnerships and market expansion through tailored travel solutions. With senior expertise across hospitality and real estate, she has held leadership roles at Godrej Properties, Mahindra Holidays, Sterling Holiday Resorts, and Press Trust of India.

Simple Bharti on LinkedIn 

Is the timeshare model entering a phase of reinvention?

The need to gather insights to make informed decisions

The timeshare (vacation ownership) model is entering a phase of quiet reinvention—especially with emerging customer profiles such as younger, experience-driven travelers and multi-generational families who are reshaping expectations around flexibility, value, and ownership.

A key trend is the growing preference for mixed-use hospitality formats, which blend timeshare, hotel, and fractional ownership models to optimize room occupancy and operational agility. Market research professionals watching this vertical would be interested in how developers are responding to mixed market signals—balancing optimism around domestic travel with caution about long-term investment. There is also a growing need to understand how timeshare in India might reconstruct itself to stay relevant, resilient, and aligned with new consumer realities.

Factors driving change in leisure and holiday travel

1. Sharply rising purchasing power and disposable income.
2. A mindset of “spend now, keep earning for a long time”.
3. Changing attitudes about holiday travel companions.
4. A sharp rise in religious sentiment and religious tourism.

While the leisure sector has caught on to the first three trends, it has yet to fully grasp the extent to which even corporate professionals are showing increased interest in religious tourism. The government seems to have noticed this trend more quickly than the private sector. Money is no object for these travelers, and the number of such destinations and holidaymakers is growing almost exponentially.

Families, groups of friends, and even solo travelers are increasingly part of this movement.

Signals from the market: Growth or flux?

To assess present data, we need to consider:

• Sales volumes.
• Occupancy rates.
• Consumer sentiment.

Every few months, the business climate shifts, and consumption patterns change. Indicators such as rural market consumption have traditionally been reliable predictors of economic growth. However, in holiday travel, the top four or five socio-economic groups have reached a level of financial comfort that allows them to maintain their lifestyle even under economic pressure.

This is somewhat like an earlier era when the middle class did not reduce consumption of items such as shampoo, because the cost was negligible compared to income.

• Today, the cost of a four- or five-day holiday is very low compared to the annual income of these top socio-economic groups.
• More importantly, since India has such a large population, these groups are significant in absolute numbers, even if small in proportion.

Challenges in reconstructing the timeshare narrative

We now stand at a crucial point where legacy perceptions, regulatory hurdles, and the need for consumer education must be addressed. Trust, transparency, and flexibility are becoming key differentiators.

Two key questions arise:

1. Is timeshare still relevant, however much the model has changed?
   • Encouraging people to take holidays regularly.
   • Providing a good experience.
   • Protecting the pocket.
2. Is “protecting the pocket” still relevant? Do people really need encouragement to take regular holidays anymore?

If these promises are no longer compelling, then why timeshare? Cost-conscious consumers may find timeshare pricing too high. Innovative destinations may provide a partial answer—destinations otherwise outside the purchasing power of even the affluent. (If I may permit myself to be fanciful: one day every year at Buckingham Palace?)

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Ashok Sankethi brings over 30 years of expertise in market research and management education, with leadership roles at ACNielsen Sri Lanka and ORG-MARG South India. An IIM Bangalore alumnus, he has taught at IIT Madras, IFMR, and IIM Lucknow, mentored PhD scholars, and co-authored Kay’s Book of MR, India’s first case study collection in market research. He now leads Kaybase, a Chennai-headquartered research and analytics firm with global teams delivering consumer-insight-driven solutions for stronger decision-making and customer loyalty.

KBase website