Europeans are traveling to the US more now because of the value of our dollar vs their euro. Are they also investing in our timeshare market? Other than the internet...not that that's not good enough and the brand name resorts, does Timeshare Adventures try to reach that market? I know you have employees that speak Spanish, but is language a barrier? I would think that most touring Europeans speak English anyway.
If you (forum reader) are from another country I would be interested in hearing your perspectives on timesharing.

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CaMama

as a retired Canadian who spends half the year in the US I'm not sure I'm the perfect one to address some of your questions, but I can say that after traveling much of the world that most speak English fairly well. I know timeshare is popular in the UK, Middle East, South Africa, etc. so there certainly is a market there, but not sure if they are buying US timeshares ? ? ?

I lived in Germany for a couple of year. I found majority of Euroupeans do speak english.

From a recent Timeshares Daily article titled, "To Sell Timeshares in US: Target Worldwide Timeshare Buyers" I have gleaned the following:

"...Fortunately, the currency exchange rate is bringing travelers to the US from abroad in record numbers. The U.S. Department of Commerce announced international visitation to the United States rose 15 percent, and visitor spending increased by 20 percent in the first quarter of 2008 over last year. In March 2008, visitation to the United States climbed substantially to 4.7 million, an increase of 19 percent over March 2007. This boom provides timeshare sellers with a new market opportunity and helps maintain timeshare sale prices when they sell their timeshare."
My real question is (and was) whether Timeshare Adventures is reaching out to this market? With an in-house attorney do you have an advantage on dealing with the complications that may be involved in doing business with other countries?

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CaMama

Yes, Camama, TimeShare Adventures is involved in global marketing efforts and we have expanded our reach there in order to capture the timeshare buyers mentioned in the excerpt you posted. Also, we are currently working on modifications to our web-site, which will include an area of our forum for worldwide timeshare resort reviews, discussion and more--- Stay tuned!

I certainly think it a benefit having an in-house real estate attorney when conducting international timeshare resale closings. Potential legal requirements and/or complications when closing on a timeshare sale when the resort is not located in the US can be eased and/or eliminated. Plus, some jurisdictions require the hiring of a professional that is licensed in the area where the timeshare is located in order to facilitate the closing. In these instances having an attorney to establish these relationships with another like-minded professional may be important.

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More to add to our discussion about the European market. It is becoming a safer place out there for the timeshare consumer. The European Union just passed legislation in October.

In summary, the new European Union timeshare regulations will:

~Cover all vacation ownership properties, including holiday clubs.

~Provide consumers comprehensive pre-contractual information enabling them to make informed choices.

~Cover moveable property like canal boats and caravans, and long-term products such as access to websites that offer big discounts on flights, hotels, and rental cars.

~Bans deposits or advance payments of any type, and …

~Create a unified 14-day cooling off or rescission period throughout Europe, in which a timeshare buyer will be able to withdraw from the contract without incurring costs.

Meglena Kuneva, the EU’s consumer commissioner says, “The new rules will ensure that the best possible protection is in place for consumers in the modern holiday market and that rogue operators will no longer be able to exploit loopholes in the law.”

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CaMama