Where is the closest “foreign” vacation destination for many US travelers? Why the islands of the Caribbean, of course! And the turquoise waters, white or pink sand beaches, along with affordable prices for entertainment and dining make the Caribbean and Caribbean timeshares a popular choice for North American vacationers as well as those from Europe and South America.

Now, the Karma Royal Group, Asia’s largest independent resort developer, is catching the Caribbean holiday fever, too. Karma Royal Group has announced the development of Karma Bahamas, an upscale Karma Resort and the Asian timeshare company’s first Caribbean timeshare resort property. Through an agreement with Mango Bay Bahamas, owners of Little Harbour Island, this prime property will be developed as a Karma Resort Caribbean timeshare. The island is accessible by a five-minute boat ride or ferry from Harbour Island, where you find elegant private homes and villas, many of which belong to internationally known celebrities and Hollywood stars.

Caribbean Timeshare Luxury

Construction on Karma’s luxurious Caribbean timeshare is underway with the marina in place, and several timeshare villas already complete. At build-out, the Karma Bahamas Resort will feature deluxe three and four bedroom timeshare villas; smaller one, two, and three bedroom townhouses; and hotel suites. On site will be a Karma spa, gym, clubhouse, hotel amenities, and numerous restaurants.

Although this beautiful Caribbean timeshare is not yet complete, there are many ideal Caribbean timeshare resales and Caribbean timeshare rentals that offer affordable luxury and outstanding vacation opportunities including: Aruba timeshares; Bahamas timeshares; and US Virgin Islands timeshares.

To learn more about development of the Karma Bahamas Resort, visit: www.karmaresorts.com

Who’s buying Brazil timeshare and Venezuela timeshare right now? Brazilians and Venezuelans! Both countries recorded double-digit growth in the sale of timeshare and vacation ownership products last year, almost exclusively within the domestic market.

A recent Hotels Magazine online article cited the RCI Executive Summary noting that domestic timeshare buyers made 97 percent of Brazil timeshare sales last year for a total of over 14,300 weeks. Venezuelans purchased 99 percent of the Venezuela timeshares (a total of 12,700 weeks) sold in that country.

Perhaps responding to this trend, sixty-one Latin America timeshare resorts and Caribbean timeshare resorts became part of RCI timeshare exchange system in 2009. These additions brought the total number of Latin America timeshares affiliated with RCI timeshare exchange to 1,200.

The RCI Executive Summary also showed promising growth in Costa Rica, where several luxury projects have been started and in Argentina, Colombian, Uruguay, and Brazil where timeshare companies that may not have had a presence there previously are entering the market. Even Mexico, a vacation destination hit hard by fears of the S1N1 virus, added 22 resorts to the RCI affiliation inventory. Sixteen Caribbean timeshares and seven Brazil timeshares also became part of the RCI timeshare exchange.

RCI timeshare exchange publishes the RCI Executive Summary annually. A targeted 2010 Latin America and the Caribbean Vacation Ownership Fact Book will be released later this year.

From last week’s ARDA Conference in Las Vegas to this week’s TATOC Timeshare Conference at the Nottingham Belfry in Nottingham, England, the timeshare industry is coming together in a big way sharing, planning, networking, and looking toward a bright future for timeshare owners worldwide.

TATOC Timeshare Conference 2010

Today’s events at the TATOC Conference (The Timeshare Association) include registration, a reception, and dinner. Tomorrow the TATOC Conference really gets rolling with speakers and sessions until 5 PM, followed by the evening’s reception, dinner, and speaker. By Sunday afternoon, activities will begin to wrap, with the TATOC AGM session as the last scheduled event before lunch.

Stephen J. Cloobeck, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Diamond Resorts International® is the keynote speaker for the TATOC Conference. Diamond Resorts International® is one of the largest timeshare and vacation ownership companies in the world and has resorts in 26 countries worldwide.

Other Guest Speakers include Ramy Filo, President of ATHOC, who will be talking about timeshare sales and the timeshare market in Australia. “The response for the conference has been overwhelming and we are delighted that Ramy has been able to find the time to come and inform the delegates about the industry in Australia,” says Harry Taylor, CEO of TATOC.

Other The Timeshare Authority blog posts on the 2010 TATOC Conference:

• The News Keeps Getting Bigger on the TATOC Timeshare Conference
• The Timeshare Association Conference-It’s All About Working Together
• TATOC Announces Guest Speaker for Timeshare Conference
• TATOC Announces More Info on 2010 Timeshare Conference

Interval International, one of the two largest timeshare exchange companies has added an affiliation with the Emirates Vacation Club, a private residence club in Dubai. Timeshare exchange is consistently one of the top reasons timeshare owners cite for buying timeshare or timeshare resales.

Dubai timeshare was slower to enter the global timeshare market than European timeshare or US timeshare, but delayed their involvement only because governmental leaders wanted to lay careful groundwork for the Dubai timeshare industry, protecting the interests of both the country’s heritage and of prospective timeshare owners. Located in the United Arab Emirates, Dubai has already developed some of the most desirable and luxurious seaside resorts in the world, as forward-thinking leaders seek to create marketable resources for a global economy that could grow less and less dependent on Middle Eastern oil reserves in the future.

David Clifton, Interval’s managing director for Europe, Middle East, Africa, and Asia, says, “Interval International is excited to welcome Emirates Vacation Club to our network of resorts. This stunning urban property is the flagship resort of Emirates Grand, a hotel ownership and management company formed by Dr. Khalid M. Kadfoor Al-Mehairi, a well-respected attorney and resident of the UAE. We look forward to building on our close relationship with the company, as it adds high-quality properties in destinations throughout the Middle East to its portfolio.”

The Emirates Vacation Club will be built in phases with Phase I including 32 luxury condo units to be part of the 48-story Emirates Grand Hotel. The vacation club condos will include studio, one, and two-bedroom units with fully equipped kitchens and most with soaring views from floor to ceiling windows. Buyers can purchase fractional ownership of multiple weeks or single week intervals. Members of Interval International timeshare exchange have opportunities for timeshare exchange at this lavish resort.

Ashraf El Zarqa, chief operating officer for Emirates Grand says, “Our vision is to provide an outstanding level of luxury at affordable prices that appeal to consumers from around the world. Our initial primary markets include the Middle East, Europe, and Asia. We chose to affiliate with Interval International because of the quality resorts they offer and the great membership benefits they provide our owners.”

El Zarqa also noted that they chose affiliation with Interval International timeshare exchange because of II’s reputation for high levels of service and quality.