India’s tourism appeal offers potential for timeshare
The chairman of India’s timeshare body the All India Resort Developers Association (AIRDA) says the timeshare industry has contributed to the country’s rapidly growing popularity as a tourist destination, and must make the most of the opportunities this presents by ensuring customers are well informed about the product.
In his latest address to members, B. S. Rathor, who is also principal advisor of the AIRDA Executive Committee, pointed to the World Travel and Tourism Council’s assessment that India will be a tourism hotspot in the current decade, with a high potential for growth during the next 10 years.
“India is ranked high in the Asia Pacific region and moving up each year in the list of the world’s most attractive destinations,” he said. “Our country is a popular destination for its rich natural resources, as well as its cultural panorama, with many world heritage sites.
B S Rathor
“Timeshare is a growing contributor to the growth projected here, with several lead players in the industry charting new paths and engaging with the customer in some very exciting ways.”
Rathor said timeshare had come a long way since making its “first impressions in India’s vacation and tourism marketplace sometime in the eighties”, and over the years resort owners and stakeholders had “discovered the benefits of strengthening customer relationships with a future perspective in mind”.
That ‘future perspective’ meant ensuring the industry treats customers well and makes the most of AIRDA’s efforts to build an attractive product proposition and a strong, sustainable and transparent industry through self-regulation and other measures.
“AIRDA’s mission is to build a value base around timeshare and elevate it to the level of a key business driver for the hospitality and travel industry,” he said. “Behind this intent is our commitment to increase awareness of opportunities and geographies – enabling new entrants to make viable project investments, helping existing players visualize platforms for growth and expansion, and meeting the information needs of consumers.
“One of our key concerns at AIRDA is the need to ensure that customers make informed decisions on timeshare. We also need to tell them the relative merits of talking to a resort within the AIRDA member network, where customers are assured of trust, reliability and transparency, along with highly evolved standards of service.
In today’s world, business practices that put the customer first are the ones that will go a long way and gain mileage. Simply because customers add to your user base and bring in revenue. And maybe, more revenue when they share a positive experience within peer groups.”
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