We shared the news yesterday that Festiva Hospitality Group has added 5 new resorts. (See: Festiva Timeshare Takes You to New Vacation Destinations). Here are more details (see video) about these new vacation destinations and some of the many reasons you may want to start planning a Festiva vacation getaway.
Responsive to their current owners, Festiva Hospitality Group recognized that many families and couples were looking for additional resort destinations available to them in the south and south-central US. The beautiful new lakeside, beach side, and golf resorts in Alabama, Arkansas, and Branson, Missouri seem to be ideal additions to the Festiva Resorts collection of properties.
For the Escapes! members who already have ownership at these five resorts, the acquisition by Festiva means their vacation opportunities are greatly expanded with access to the Festiva Adventure club, its privileges, and its 34 resort destinations.
Festiva timeshare expands with new resorts, including the Branson Yacht Club
Remember when, in 2007, Festiva timeshare acquired Peppertree Resorts and added 10 new vacation destinations? Now Festiva timeshare is growing again, adding more choices for their members. With the acquisition of six new vacation resorts, added from Arkansas-Escapes! Festiva timeshare now has more than ever before to offer its members.
The new resorts are located in Alabama, Arkansas, and in Branson, Missouri. Their addition brings the number of Branson Festiva timeshares to 5 and gives the popular vacation ownership company a presence in Arkansas and Alabama for the first time.
Festiva Hospitality Group Senior Vice President Rich Hartnett explains, “We have been looking for high-quality and well-maintained properties in the Mid-South and Gulf Coast to add to our resort offering. A good number of Festiva members live in these areas as well as the Midwest, and they have asked for vacation options closer to home. This transaction not only gives our members what they have been waiting for, it also gives these Escapes! owners the ability to gain access to the Festiva Adventure Club, its privileges and 34 destinations.”
This transaction adds approximately 9,000 vacation owners and club members plus nearly 4,000 intervals to Festiva, which is one of the largest privately held vacation ownership companies in the United States. Currently, Festiva timeshare has more than 95,000 vacation owners and members at 34 vacation ownership destinations, the Festiva Cruise Club, and Festiva Adventure Club.
Why You Should Be Paying More Attention to Brazil Timeshares
Why You Should Be Paying More Attention to Brazil Timeshares
We share news 7 days a week here on The Timeshare Authority blog. That’s a lot of blog posts each year and the opportunity to cover a great variety of topics. So when one phrase hits our research files over and over again, we pay attention. Lately, the words “Brazil timeshares” have caught our eye, frequently popping up in the travel and tourism news.
What You Already Know about Brazil Tourism
In the vacation industry, it is a well-known fact that Brazilians love to travel to the US where the exchange rate is favorable for them and shopping can be enjoyed without the tariffs, tax rates, and transportation costs that add to the price of goods sold in Brazil. In fact, the US Commerce Department says more than 1.5 million Brazilians vacationed in the United States last year and in Florida, (the favorite Brazilian tourist destination) Brazilians outnumbered all other international tourists. Brazilian tourism is so important to Florida that in 2011, Disney hired 54 Portuguese-speaking “Super Greeters,” to assist Brazilian tourists in its parks, while SeaWorld Orlando offers classes for its employees to learn the basics of the Portuguese language.
Last week, the US government announced the names of the US private sector forum members who will serve the next term on the US-Brazil CEO Forum. The forum, which is scheduled to meet in October in Washington DC, was created to provide both President Obama and Brazilian President Rousseff with recommendations on opportunities to advance the US-Brazil bilateral relationship. Meeting twice annually, the forum addresses timely topics including streamlining the Visa process, air travel, education, and the recent US-Brazil Tax Information Exchange Agreement.
Brazil Timeshares: The Perfect Storm (In the Best of Ways)
However, the subject of Brazilian tourism has taken on a new dimension in recent months that goes beyond the billions of dollars Brazilian tourists pump into the US economy each year, spent at hotels, resorts, restaurants, theme parks, and malls. With an emerging middle class, the Brazilian economy is seeing both technology and tourism explode with growth. The upcoming 2014 World Cup and the 2016 Summer Olympics, both scheduled for Brazil, are spurring a surge in Brazilian vacation accommodations as a hot investment item, including growth in Brazil timeshares.
At the same time, internet use is growing rapidly in Brazil with the country recently reaching over 100 million Internet users. Online travel booking in Brazil will surpass its $7.5 billion in online travel sales from last year. And if there was ever a right time for timeshare resort developers to look at building Brazilian timeshares or acquiring properties to rebrand as timeshares and fractionals, well, this looks like that perfect time.
Other Recent News about Brazil Timeshares from The Timeshare Authority blog:
WorldMark by Wyndham Washington timeshare in North Cascades
Enough about the sunshine, palm trees, and beaches of a Florida timeshare vacation (which are great fun); but theme parks and sandcastles are certainly not the only way to enjoy a timeshare vacation. How about the newest WorldMark by Wyndham resort, the WorldMark Chelan Lake House? This lovely vacation ownership property is the ninth WorldMark by Wyndham Washington timeshare.
Located in Lake Chelan, Washington, at the foot of the North Cascades, this new WorldMark by Wyndham timeshare is an easy 3-hour drive from Seattle. With the dramatic beauty of Lake Chelan, stretching more than 55 miles, and a backdrop of snow-covered mountains rising over 9,000 feet above the lakeshore, this serene setting invites you to breathe in the cool, evergreen-fragrant air, and relax … just relax.
The WorldMark Chelan Lake House has 30 quarter-share and vacation ownership units with one- and three-bedroom condominium-style units. All offer fully equipped kitchens with stainless steel appliances and granite countertops, as well as flat screen televisions, electric fireplaces, and oversized decks. On property is a children’s splash pad and a 4,000 square foot pool house, making this an ideal year-round retreat destination.
Nearby is theBanjo Creek Farms petting zoo and working farm, so beautiful, it is a popular event and wedding destination. Slidewaters is a water playground with water slides, rapids, pools, and hot tubs. And Tsillan Cellars (pronounced Chelan), is a active winery, open for tours, wine tastings, and deserts. With plenty of outdoor activities, along with quaint shops and galleries, the Lake Chelan area offers a range of activities to occupy your time–that is, if you tire of lounging on your deck or relaxing by the lake, letting the beautiful scenery lull you into vacation bliss.
Geoff Richards, chief operations officer, Wyndham Vacation Ownership, says, “We’re very excited to open WorldMark Chelan Lake House, as it’s an upscale resort in a highly-desired location. We began booking reservations in May, and within 48 hours of opening occupancy the resort was booked for the summer. This immediate demand is a strong demonstration of the desire by our owners to vacation in this pristine area along Lake Chelan.”
