Timeshare in the 60s

The swinging sixties are a carefree time, with love and peace the watch words for the young generation. The boundaries of travel are pushed further back as man lands on the moon and holiday taking is revolutionised by the widespread use of the jet airliner.
In the French Alps and enterprising hotelier markets the world's first timeshare development with the slogan no need to rent the room, but the hotel, its cheaper!

Timeshare in the 70s

The seventies and fashion reaches new excesses with platform shoes and flares the order of the day. Cold war politics prevail as the superpowers struggle for supremacy and the worldwide economy is rocked by two oil crisis which make travel expensive and force holiday habits to change.

As a result the concept of timeshare takes off in Florida and spreads throughout the US in 1974 the Holiday exchange company RCI is founded in Indianapolis and the first British development is started in Scotland.

Timeshare in the 80s

The boom years of the 1980's where mammoth financial corporations make and lose millions. The personal computer revolutionises business and leisure habits. Greed is good and expensive is chic as smart suits and fast cars are the things to be seen in.

More people take more holidays and as more people see the benefits of timeshare the concept spreads to Europe with spectacular success. By 1990 there are 2357 timeshare developments worldwide and well over 4 million owners enjoying this still relatively new kind of holiday.

Timeshare Today

The modern timeshare industry continues to expand at an unprecedented rate, with new markets opening up in India, Asia and Eastern Europe, and steady growth in the established markets of Western Europe and the US.

Firmly established as a large and growing sector of the mainstream Holiday market this multi-billion dollar industry now involves household names and has achieved global coverage with around 4,700 deveopments stretching from Argentina to Zimbabwe.

Some of the world's leading names in hospitality and leisure management are involved in the timeshare industry, such as Hilton, Sheraton, Marriott, Disney, Hyatt, Westin and Radisson. Additionally there are well known European companies involved in timeshare:

De Vere, Stakis, Barratt and Wimpey in the United Kingdom, Metro in Germany, Club Meditarranee and Arcadian in France, Banco Bilbao Vizcaya and the Sol Hotel group of Spain, Allegro and the Berlusconi group in Italy and the Banco Commerical Portugues in Portugal.

These high quality developments are enjoyed by 3.8 million owner families and at least another 3 million of their relatives and friends worldwide, making the phenomenon of timeshare a success story which few could equal.

Timeshare in the future

The future for the timeshare industry looks sets to match or even exceed its spectacular growth to date. Social trends mean that more people have more time and more money to devote to travel and the timeshare concept, given a firm footing thanks to regulation designed to reassure and protect purchasers, is set to expand accordingly. In ten years time who knows where the next new development will be opening?