COMMENTARY
Food for thought for the Image of Vacation Ownership
It is a soft summers evening. The guests are greeted with a cooling cocktail reminiscent of the holidays gone by and the table is set for the nights conversation. I have my own news but will wait till other stories have been shared and once again the thrill of travel and the experiences fill our longing for the holidays to just continue. The main course has joined us and I feel this is a good time to share our piece of the summer. I introduce with “Well we bought….”, the meal takes second place and a curious anticipation starts to build, “…Vacation Ownership”. I suddenly realise by the polite silence that my audience has no idea what I am talking about .The first comment is contributed “Oh, you mean time share ?” proceeded by “It doesn`t have a very good image, can you trust what you have bought?” Truth be known I wish I had written an explanation card to place beside the napkins to help with the digestion of my adventure. The evening goes well as always but it certainly creates food for thought.
There are certain areas that need to work a little better to create a stronger and more positive impression in the publics mind:
The product is still too un-familiar and knowledge of the subject for most cases is via the general media.
The re-sales sector is mainly conducted through the internet and gives an uneasy feeling about the product bought. Any potential client researching through the internet with the intent of buying into Vacation Ownership will walk away.The vacation ownership resorts and brand hotels group need to look at the issue of re-sales. Human nature is happier in this commercial world to buy products that also provide certain options.
Build links with the relevant tourist boards.
What came to the foreground was the un-familiarity with Vacation Ownership and the lack of reporting in the general media. Travel has changed immensely over the past 20 years creating the opportunity to experience the world like never before. This is reflected in the media and written publications related to the travel industry. Vacation Ownership, still more commonly known as Time Share, has also changed during this period. It is no longer about owning time to use luxury accommodation year after year in the same complex. What is now offered is the flexibility to stay in fine accommodation combined with travelling to new destinations and experiencing cultures that you could only dream about. The industry knows that they have a product that is in tune with the needs of the modern family and focus a large part of marketing at presentations that aim to inform the potential client about the ownership they are selling. Again the unfamiliarity of the product in the mass media will affect the marketing process. Sure, there are one or two publications that report on vacation ownership but you will only come across these through research or by accident. There is a gap between the general media and publications related to the vacation ownership industry.
Ways to make the product more familiar in the general media:
Contacting the well know travel publications that are interested in new ideas and ways of travelling and seeing the world.
In-flight magazines are an ideal way to casually introduce the idea of vacation ownership that is on offer in the country the passenger is flying to.
The Hotels involved in Vacation Ownership can work with respected broadcast organisations and offer them a new theme and area of travel about the Vacation Ownership thus moving away from the negative image of time share.
Encouragement of independent internet sites that have no connection with the re-sales industry.
Building stronger ties with the relevant tourist boards.
The area of re-sales negatively affects the image of Vacation Ownership and it’s value as a product. The client is buying time and it is a product with usage and value. Just compare your ownership to owning a nice car. The value over time will decrease as you are enjoying it and using the time to the full. The image of this product of having no value and being trouble is unfair and quite distracting. Vacation clubs and the major hotel chains mainly focus on selling the ownership. Unfortunately they are reluctant to deal with re-sales at this point in time. An enhanced ownership-model that considers the reselling aspect certainly would increase the potential buyer’s interest even more.
One way of dealing with this matter might be that existing owners could buy additional days or weeks through the point system from people who want to sell after a minimum number of years.
A final food for thought lies with the tourist industry and the building of stronger ties with the relevant tourist boards. This area is important for several reasons. VO is an alternative to buying a holiday home. Popular destinations also have to take into account negative environmental effects of mass tourism and the problems created by overbuilding.
Tourist boards could promote VO as another way of visiting and experiencing cultures. Local economies would feel the benefits of tourism during the low season and for the visitor a quieter time of year has a strong appeal.
As the evening itself comes to an end the hostess begins to wonder if the guests enjoyed themselves. They were certainly served with an image of tempting delights from the kitchen, but also went home knowing a little more about a dish called Vacation Ownership.
By Katie Disken