You don’t often hear me say that you should put your timeshare vacation plans on hold. But if you own timeshare weeks in Kenya, now is probably not the time to plan a Kenya timeshare holiday. Over the past two years, I have written several timeshare blogs about the fact that Africa timeshare is really beginning to come into its own. South Africa in particular is an up and coming market for timeshare resort development, timeshare resales, and condo resales. While Africa, from mysterious Morocco all the way to cosmopolitan Cape Town, has always attracted adventure seekers, I have to think that reality TV shows like Survivor, The Amazing Race, Survivorman and perhaps even Meerkat Manor have inspired people to pick up a camera and a pith helmet and plan a safari vacation.

But before you make your travel plans for an Africa timeshare vacation, keep in mind current political and civil unrest in some parts of the continent. In October, the US Department of State issued a warning about the risks of travel to Kenya, stating, “American citizens in Kenya should remain vigilant, particularly in public places frequented by foreigners such as clubs, hotels, resorts, upscale shopping centers, restaurants, and places of worship. Americans should also remain vigilant in residential areas, schools, and at outdoor recreational events, and should avoid demonstrations and large crowds.”

Since that time, the Department of State has updated that warning twice, most recently on January 11, adding, “US citizens should strongly consider the risks of travel to Kenya at this time and defer non-essential travel to the three provinces of Nyanza, Western, and Rift Valley…Although widespread violence, demonstrations, and looting in Nairobi and throughout Kenya have subsided, there is a potential for spontaneous violence in the current political climate…Road travel in western Kenya remains unsafe.”

Likewise, the British Foreign Office is advising against all but essential travel to Kenya. The British Federation of Tour Operators continues the suspension of travel and tours to Kenya that began last month and urges all travel and tour agents to either rebook travelers to other destinations or refund their money. Previously scheduled tour flights from the United Kingdom to Kenya continue, but only for the purpose of providing travelers already there with a way to leave the county.

In tomorrow’s Timeshare Owners Blog, I am going to talk about strategies for timeshare owners if your timeshare resort is located in an area that is experiencing crime or unrest, and the important role Sell My Timeshare NOW can play in assisting you.

Remember that for US citizens, the Consular Information Program provides the most accurate and up to date information about security conditions for travel in all parts of the world. You can visit their website or contact them by calling 888-407-4747 from the U.S. and Canada or 202-501-4444 from outside the U.S. and Canada as a regular toll call. British citizens should check the website for the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office at www.fco.gov.uk

The US State Department’s Travel Advisory for Kenya will be reevaluated on February 12.

Kenya Timeshare Resales and Timeshare Rentals

• Mnarani Club
• Royal Reserve Safari & Beach Club

Yesterday, here at the Dover, NH offices of Sell My Timeshare NOW, it was our privilege to host a visit from Senator John Sununu. Senator Sununu has a long history of working hard to advance internet technology and has been instrumental in effecting the passage of the 2007 Internet Tax Freedom Act.

As I have written in the Timeshare Owners Blog, so many times, affordable access to the internet is critical. Layering taxes on top of taxes on the use of the internet, including email and wireless devices like Blackberries, could put this vital lifeline out of the reach of many people. Internet based businesses, like Sell My Timeshare NOW’s timeshare resale advertising and marketing services and many other companies, would be seriously impacted by internet taxation.

Because of the efforts of Senator Sununu, and other dedicated lawmakers, the ban on internet access taxation has been extended until November 2014. In keeping with our niche as an internet marketing company, Sell My Timeshare NOW thought it appropriate that the award we gave Senator Sununu be an inscribed silver plated computer mouse.

Senator Sununu’s has said this of past efforts to levy taxes on internet access, “This seven-year ban nearly doubles the House proposal and further strengthens tax protections for e-mails and instant messaging. I will continue to fight for a permanent ban on access taxes, but this is a strong step forward. Taxing the Internet is wrong for consumers and wrong for the economy.”

The Internet Tax Freedom Act passed the House by a vote of 402 to 0. It passed the Senate in a unanimous voice vote, and was then signed into law by President George W. Bush.

Again today, I am bringing you Nevada timeshare resort news. The Thunderbird Lodge Timeshare Resort in Sparks, Nevada (the Tahoe area) is now officially part of the RCI network of timeshare exchange.

The Thunderbird Lodge has one and two-bedroom timeshare condos, and is located conveniently near the Sparks Marina. The property includes a swimming pool, is adjacent to an 18-hole golf course, and offers timeshare owners the opportunity to enjoy both water sports at the marina and snow skiing in the nearby mountains.

Thunderbird Lodge timeshare is part of Q M Resorts, which is based in Sparks, and also includes The Ridge Sierra Timeshares in Stateline, Nevada; North Lake Lodges and Villas in Incline, Nevada; Tahoe Chaparral Timeshares at the base of Diamond Peak Ski Resort; and the Victoria RV Park.

Sell My Timeshare NOW has Thunderbird Lodge timeshare resales and Thunderbird Lodge timeshare rentals as well as timeshare resales and timeshare rentals at The Ridge Sierra Timeshare, and at North Lake Lodges and Villas Timeshare.

Group RCI, is part of Wyndham Timeshares and the Wyndham Worldwide corporation offer its members timeshare exchange opportunities at approximately 60,000 timeshare resorts in over 100 countries.

With changes in ownership, will Las Vegas’ historic cornerstone, Harrah’s Entertainment, hold its course or will it give in to new trends in hotel and resort development?

The recent trend in Las Vegas has been toward luxurious, uber-elegant hotels and resorts. The Wynn Resort and the Bellagio Las Vegas, along with other properties like the Planet Hollywood Towers currently under construction by Westgate Timeshare, give evidence to the fact that developers believe visitors are willing to pay more for a high-end vacation experience. With boutique properties gaining ground all the time as the latest trend in hotel accommodations, much of the industry seems to be betting their money on the idea that “more is more” when it comes to distinction, elegance, and a unique hotel or timeshare resort property.

Which leaves the legendary Harrah’s — the world’s largest gaming company — trying to decide whether to follow the pack or continue doing what it has done so well over the years. Harrah’s carved out its place in the resort and gaming market by catering to the needs of a middle income client who came to Vegas (or other destinations like Reno, Atlantic City, and Biloxi) to gamble, not to shop and not to spend time in his or her hotel room.

Harrah’s hotels along the Las Vegas strip include Harrah’s, the Rio, the Imperial Palace and the Flamingo. All are very nice but none are true ultra luxury properties. Instead, they afford Las Vegas visitors a pleasant place to sleep and shower before returning to the buffet lines, the shows, and most importantly, the gaming tables, which for many visitors are the sole reason they came to Las Vegas. None of the Harrah’s properties are timeshare resorts, nor are any of them particularly geared to the family vacation.

But Harrah’s is now facing new ownership. The private equity firms of Apollo Management and Texas Pacific Group are about to become equity partners in Harrah’s Entertainment. And while word on the street is that the investors will leave current management in place and let them continue to call the shots, who really knows what will happen in the months and years to come?

Harrah’s board of directors initially approved a buyout offer by the two investment companies in April 2007, and late last month Nevada regulators gave their approval. Some sources have claimed that the purchase of Harrah’s Entertainment is one of the largest leveraged buyouts in history. Apollo and Texas Pacific currently manage the investment monies, (around $70 billion) of endowments, charities, and pension funds.

The history of Harrah’s Entertainment goes back to an inauspicious origin as a bingo parlor in Reno in 1937. Currently Harrah’s has some $4 billion slated for new projects, but not all of it will go to the company’s Las Vegas properties. Many brands in many locations are part of Harrah’s Entertainment including some of the Bally Casinos, Caesars, Grand Casinos, Horseshoe, Paris Las Vegas, Showboat, and the World Series of Poker.

It will be interesting to observe the changes made by Harrah’s in the days and weeks to come. With the soft economy overall, will people who travel to Las Vegas be looking for better deals in hotel and timeshare accommodations? Or will the middle-income buyer curtail his trips to Vegas, leaving the demand primarily among the high rollers who are willing to pay the higher prices for plush accommodations? And how will all of this affect timeshares resorts in destinations with Harrah’s owned and managed properties – which are not limited to Las Vegas, Reno, and Atlantic City? Harrah’s Entertainment has resorts and or casinos in: Indiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Iowa, Arizona, California, Illinois, Louisiana, Missouri, Ontario, and Pennsylvania.

In the end, only time will tell. But current Las Vegas timeshare owners, looking to sell Las Vegas timeshare or use it as a timeshare rental, have plenty of reasons to remain optimistic about the Las Vegas timeshare resales market. Likewise, those of you who are ready to buy timeshare in Las Vegas should expect to find excellent deals on timeshare resales in the inventory of Sell My Timeshare NOW.

Here’s an amazing Royal Flush at World Series of Poker 2007, courtesy of YouTube: