The next educational conference for members of the National Timeshare Owners Association (NTOA) will be held on Sunday, May 2, from 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM in Cherry Hill, New Jersey.

Timeshare owners who attend NTOA educational conferences compare them to a “user’s guide” for enjoyable timeshare ownership. As the NTOA points out, “Why buy timeshare and not get the most out of it? And when you are ready to sell timeshare or rent timeshare, why not learn all that you can about your options in order to make the process as easy and as cost effective as possible?”

Believing that informed timeshare owners are happy timeshare owners, the National Timeshare Owners Association serves its members as a consumer group dedicated to improving the experience of timeshare ownership.

The Value of Membership in the National Timeshare Owners Association

In order to attend an NTOA educational conference, you must be a member of the NTOA, however, the association’s membership is open to anyone who owns timeshare or is interested in buying, renting, or selling timeshare. And NTOA membership comes loaded with benefits and opportunities in addition to their informative regional educational events.

Members of NTOA qualify for discounted costs and liability protection for timeshare rental. They also have access to legal assistance in dealing with a timeshare as a charitable donation, leaving it in a legal will, disposition of a timeshare in cases of divorce, and many other circumstances. But these benefits are only just the beginning.

Find out more about the NTOA or to sign up to attend the New Jersey timeshare event (or future educational events for timeshare owners) by contacting the National Timeshare Owners Association, at (410) 719-0064 or by emailing hastry@aol.com.

When the American Resort Development Association (ARDA) and the National Timeshare Owners Association (NTOA) joined forces in January, we knew great things were about to happen. This is the working partnership of two major timeshare associations, each with a goal of improving the timeshare industry and the experience of owning timeshare.

But here’s the first glaring fact that confronts both ARDA and the NTOA: while nearly seven million people own timeshare, 86 percent of whom rate their experience with the product as positive, timeshare remains misunderstood by the general population. As Howard Nusbaum, president and CEO of ARDA explains, “People love taking vacation … our goal is to show them that taking vacation with timeshare can provide a better experience. The developers can tell this story very well, but there is nothing like hearing it from actual owners and users of the product.”

ARDA and NTOA Turn to Timeshare Owners to Tell the Real Story

ARDA and the NTOA are working with timeshare owners to get the real story out there. In this age of social media we all recognize that the facts people want to hear are not corporate messages but the heartfelt stories and experiences of other people just like us. No ad campaign or media blitz is ever as meaningful as one consumer sharing his or her experiences with another. Real stories of vacation ownership, timeshare holidays, and vacation memories speak powerfully and communicate that timeshares could turn to be the best direction your vacation plans ever took.

Ed Hastry, founder and CEO of the National Timeshare Owners Association sees NTOA members as, “…enthused about the opportunity to have a more direct communications vehicle into the developers. We have a huge group of owners that can articulate what vacation ownership means to them and why it’s a great way to vacation.”

ARDA’s Representation at the Next NTOA Educational Conference

When the membership of the NTOA meets next week in Baltimore, MD for an educational conference, ARDA will be represented by Howard Nusbaum, president and CEO. Nusbaum will be speaking to the timeshare owners in attendance, answering questions, and very importantly, listening to what they have to say. You can be part of this event. (See: Reminder to Timeshare Owners: NTOA Meeting in Baltimore). For more information about the upcoming NTOA meeting, go to www.nationaltimeshareownersassoc.com But plan now, this event is filling up fast: Sunday, April 13, 2010, NTOA Educational Conference with Howard Nusbaum of ARDA.

In the midst of all our blogging recently about the ARDA Convention wrapping up this week in Las Vegas, we can’t overlook another important event for timeshare owners.

The National Timeshare Owners Association (NTOA) will meet on Sunday, March 21, 2010 from 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM in Orange County, California.

Although the meeting is open to all NTOA members who pre-register to attend, the event offers a particularly outstanding opportunity for California timeshare owners and Nevada timeshare owners to meet face-to-face with industry experts.

You’ll hear firsthand insider information about buying timeshares, selling timeshare, timeshare exchange, and how to fully enjoy and maximize the rewards of being a timeshare owner.

When you join the NTOA, you not only gain access to their regional educational events, but you earn other benefits including:

• Discounted costs and liability protection for timeshare rental.
• Serious discounts when you are ready to buy timeshare.
• Legal assistance for dealing with timeshare as a charitable donation, in your will, during a divorce, and more.
• Lower interest fees for financing timeshare or refinancing timeshare.
• Monthly news and tips from timeshare owners and experts.
• Timeshare exchange opportunities without the membership fee, and at the lowest timeshare exchange rates.
• Reduced closing costs for direct timeshare transfers.
• Security and members-only discounts when you sell timeshare.
• The only comprehensive “bible” on timesharing available exclusively through NTOA.

To learn more about the NTOA or to plan to attend the California timeshare event or future educational events for timeshare owners, contact the National Timeshare Owners Association, by emailing hastry@aol.com or calling (410) 719-0064.

You can also download an NTOA membership form by clicking the link below:

Membership Application 2010

In Monday’s The Timeshare Authority blog, I shared my thoughts with you in a post titled: Timeshare Sales and the Great Reality Check. That timeshare blog post was written in response to an article that appeared in USA TODAY.

Timeshare owners need and deserve more good opportunities to resell timeshare. And I am not disputing that there are timeshare scam companies and timeshare fraud companies that promise everything and deliver little to nothing. These companies are an urgent problem that both legislators and the industry needs to address.

But the article was one-sided and that is frankly, never acceptable journalism. When you take on an industry so unfairly, you can do a great deal of damage to a lot of people. Not only does the timeshare industry contribute significantly to local tax bases through real estate and property tax, but it employs millions of workers worldwide, from sales to advertising, to resort staff, housekeeping, golf course maintenance … and the list goes on and on. And consider the secondary and tertiary impact of timeshares.

Timeshare vacationers spend money on travel, food, entertainment, and shopping. In so many ways, they boost an economy and contribute indirectly to the employment of others. As tourism has dipped and in some cases nose-dived across the country, occupancy rates at timeshares have outstripped those at hotels. And there are even more subtle ways that timeshare contributes to the economy, such as the proven productivity and health benefit for people who vacation regularly.

So with all of this in mind, I thought you might enjoy what others in the timeshare industry had to say in response to the same article that started my rant:

Lisa Ann Schreier, author of Timeshare for Dummies, and respected authority on the timeshare industry, wrote:

NTOA President, Ed Hastry, of the National Timeshare Owners Association, a consumer protection organization comprised of timeshare owners acting in the interest of timeshare owners, wrote:

Lisa and Ed, I couldn’t have said it better myself.