Despite the recession, Australian timeshare ownership industry remains strong and consistent. RCI, a vacation exchange company from Wyndham Worldwide, says that the country has recorded steady occupancy rates.

This Monday, Group RCI president and CEO Geoff Ballotti will deliver a keynote address at the 2009 Australian Timeshare and Holiday Ownership Council (ATHOC) conference. He will discuss current trends in holiday ownership and its future prospects.

“While tourism overall has seen a decline in these recent economic times, timeshare occupancy rates remain strong, with almost 95 percent occupancy at Gold Coast timeshare resorts,” cited Ballotti. “These figures demonstrate the value consumers find in owning timeshare and being part of a global timeshare exchange company like RCI, which gives them access to more than 4,500 affiliated resorts in top holiday destinations around the world.” 

ATHOC general manager Laura Younger says the country is experiencing a resurgence of holiday ownership, which is one of the fastest-growing tourism categories in Australia.

“The growth of holiday ownership in Australia is second only to cruises, and the Gold Coast is a major regional hotspot,” said Ms. Younger. “The economic significance of Gold Coast timeshare is a direct and indirect output of $318.3 million a year for the local economy.”

In a recent count from RCI, around 164,000 incoming international passengers conducted availability searches for Australian exchanges last year. 

“Domestically, RCI’s more than 70,000 member families account for over 40 percent of the Pacific timeshare market and booked over a quarter million in domestic room nights in 2008,” cited Charisse Cox, managing director of RCI Pacific. “In 2008 alone, more than 1.6 million holiday exchanges were facilitated by Group RCI globally, and the current rate of member holiday searches and confirmations indicates this figure will continue to grow.” 

Source: HotelsMag.com