There once was a time when the concept of purchasing a timeshare was foreign, but these days many people would love to buy one, if only they could afford it. According to research released by the American Resort Development Association in 2007, more and more people are becoming interested in buying a timeshare of their own.

In 2005, the timeshare industry was already booming with $92 billion being added to the country’s economy, as well as $410 billion spent on the millions of vacations that were taken. Over the previous three years, since 2002, the timeshare industry showed a 24% increase in wages paid to employees, and the number of employees in the industry also rose by 11.5%.

Further research indicated that timeshares were becoming higher in demand over time. According to an outlook study for 2006, 14% of people aware of the idea of purchasing a timeshare wanted to buy within the next couple of years, and 82% of those consented to attending a seminar or mini-vacation to hear a presentation.
 
Interviews were conducted on 800 people who were either in favor or neutral towards the idea of timeshares. These interviews revealed that only 29% of attendees were present because they really wanted to purchase a time share. On the other hand, 43% admitted that they were only present because they were offered a gift just for attending the meeting.

However, this study also found that the majority of attendees, 54% did not purchase a timeshare simply because they could not afford it. The good news is that there was still a 32% selling rate, which leaves an 11% minority that claimed that the sales representatives were too pushy.

"I wasn't surprised by that. Given the demand on people's time today…” said Franz Hanning, president and c.e.o. of Wyndham Vacation Ownership.

Marketing researchers, such as Howard Bendell, maintain that the increase in legitimacy of the industry is a direct result of more reputable companies joining in. As the more popular companies form alliances with timeshare companies, the industry grows in popularity, and it also carries its own reputation as being a good alternative to other vacation opportunities.