European Timeshare

The 5th European Tourism Forum was held November 16 and 17 in Cyprus at the Hawaii Grand Hotel & Resort, a five-star property in Lemesos (Limassol). The European Commission, the Finnish Presidency and the Government of the Republic of Cyprus co-hosted the forum, said to be the largest annual tourism event conducted by the Commission.

Prominent industry leaders, academics and policy makers were represented at this year’s forum. Planning sessions and workshops were scheduled to give attendees the opportunity to speak out on issues of consumer security, electronic reservation systems, timesharing, public-private partnerships and cruise tourism, along with other concerns of the travel and hospitality industry.

Key topics included new trends in the tourism industry, specifically the consumer trends to take more and shorter holidays and to be more brand loyal and less price conscious. Other key topics of discussion looked at online travel booking trends, a market that will reach $70 billion in the US alone by the end of 2006. The European Tourism Forum is especially concerned with boosting travel, tourism and timesharing in Europe, all of which have lagged behind the US in recent years. The slower growth is partially attributed to a slower increase in internet usage in European countries as compared to the US or in Asia Pacific countries, where it is growing exponentially.

Golf’s 36th Ryder Cup will be contested at The K Club, Kildare, Ireland

The Ryder Cup is one of the world’s truly great sporting events. For one thing, nobody plays for prize money. Instead, Team USA and Team Europe battle each other for bragging rights as the best professional golfers in the world – at least for two years until the matches are contested all over again.

This year’s US captain is Tom Lehman, while Ian Woosnam heads the European team. For each of the teams, a dozen players will earn the honor of representing their flag. Some names like Woods and Mickelson for the US are a sure thing, as are Howell and Montgomerie for Team Europe. Other names remain to be confirmed on the list.

But confirmation is in that the 5-star K Club Hotel will provide opulent accommodations for anyone who booked rooms there between September 22 and 24 – the dates of this year’s Ryder Cup. And if you don’t happen to have reservations at the K Club, there are fabulous timeshare resorts in Dublin and Galway, as well as throughout England and Scotland. So if you love the game of golf, or are married to someone who does, put it on your schedule to play the fabulous courses of Ireland.

Valhalla Golf Course in Louisville, Kentucky will be the site of the 37th Ryder Cup matches, which alternate between a US and a European location.

Golf great Phil Mickelson is a new timeshare owner, and it only cost him $3.4 million

I’ve suggested before that you plan your timesharing to put you in the right place for viewing the major (or even the minor) events of the PGA Tour and the Champions Tour. Perhaps golf legend Phil Mickelson is now taking advice from SellMyTimeshareNOW.

With the 2010 British Open scheduled for St. Andrews, Phil Mickelson has recently spent $3.4 million for the use of nine weeks annually of a penthouse suite with views to the first and eighteenth holes on the famous Old Course. The building, currently in use as a dormitory by St. Andrews University, will soon be renovated as a private club and timeshare.

Let’s see, Mickelson’s timeshare in Scotland (which I think should really be called a fractional) averages out to a little less than $400,000 per week. You may not be able to get a view of the first tee at St. Andrews, but I think you can shop the timeshare resales at SellMyTimeshareNOW and find a great golf timeshare for a whole lot less.

A strong standard of timeshare control is about to get even tougher.

The European Commission has launched a public consultation regarding its Timeshare Directive, seeking to plug loopholes that have become evident since the Directive’s 1994 release. The original intent of the Timeshare Directive was to create a standardized cooling off or rescission period for timeshare buyers wishing to change their minds. Additionally the Directive sought to reduce pressure sales techniques, while ensuring that timeshare buyers receive adequate information about the properties they purchase. The Directive addresses timeshare contracts that are 36 months in duration or longer.

During the years that the Timeshare Directive has already been in place, timeshare sales practices in Europe have improved greatly. Yet some new timeshare-like products have been developed seeking to take advantage of gaps or loopholes in the Directive’s language. New products are being sold for 35-month memberships along with certain vacation clubs that also fall outside the guidelines established by the original Commission action. The 9-week consultation, which began earlier this month, seeks to plug these gaps, as well as prevent future problems from developing.

The Timeshare Directive is presently applicable to any contract made for timeshare purchase (36 months or longer) under the law of a European Union country or when the property is in the European Economic Area. The European Union countries include: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland, all of which grant timeshare buyers a 10-day rescission period. The United Kingdom, (England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales) has an additional specific ruling that typically gives buyers a full 14 days to change their minds.