The war of words over the British Airways strike intensified, with the airline claiming more cabin crew had returned to work, while political leaders clashed over disputes which have broken out in the run-up to the election.

BA's chief executive Willie Walsh said in an internal message to staff that on Saturday, the first day of the current four-day walkout, 63% of crew rostered to work had reported for duty, 6% more than during last weekend's industrial action.

More than 60,000 passengers were flown by BA on Saturday on 470 flights, compared with 43,000 on 350 flights last Saturday, he said.

"Our operations have been strong and the number of crew reporting for duty means we are flying our expected contingency schedule. I would like to thank staff for their efforts which are making a real difference to our customers," he said.

Unite gave a different picture, claiming that only 359 crew reported for duty, including 100 international employees who were not on strike.

A total of 331 cabin crew have declared themselves to be on strike and a further 21 are sick, said Unite, claiming that more than 50% of those rostered to work had joined the walkout.

A union official said: "BA's claim that most crew are working is another distortion. We believe that today BA is trying to run its service with only around 15% of cabin crew who should be working normally.

"we also have reports that very few bags are being loaded onto the BA aircraft all day. There is a heavy reliance on the leased planes to maintain European service."

The political heat also flared when Tory leader David Cameron accused the Prime Minister of being "in hock" to the unions. He told BBC1's Politics Show that Gordon Brown had shown "a certain weakness" in response to the BA strike and the rail workers' dispute.

However Mr Brown told the Politics Show in Scotland that his Tory counterpart was "totally wrong", adding: "The number of days lost in industrial disputes during the period of our Labour government has been a tenth of what it was under the Conservative government. But we have been very tough about this British Airways strike, we have said it is not in the public interest, we have said it is not in British Airways' interest and we have said we don't think it is in the workers' interests."

For many years now European resale company’s mode of operation has been centred round obtaining exorbitant up front registrations from timeshare owners for registering their weeks and then doing nothing to sell them on. The type of companies that both TATOC and RDO have been fighting to close down for many years. With this in mind Worldwide Timeshare Hypermarket one of Europe’s leading resale companies, researched the various auction web sites that are in use and is proud to launch “Timeshare Shopper” at the TATOC conference this weekend being held at the Belfry Hotel in Nottingham.

Timeshare Shopper is a new auction website for timeshare owners which put you in control, whether it is selling, buying, renting, swapping or exchanging week(s) of timeshare. It’s free and easy to register at Timeshare Shopper and you will have access to hundreds of timeshare bargains, or as a seller you will only pay a modest fee to advertise your week(s). You can also use our unique comparison service to find the market value of your timeshare.

The concept behind Timeshare Shopper is to ensure that buyers and sellers of timeshare are in total control of the whole process with no middle man. Timeshare Shopper will allow them to advertise their timeshare at the price they believe that it is worth but they will also be able to accept bids should they so wish. All monies will be held in trust by a recognised fiduciary so you know that your money is totally safe and secure. Timeshare Shopper will be open to both individual people as well as corporate entities which mean there will always be a good selection to choose from.

Interval International, a prominent worldwide provider of vacation services and an operating segment of Interval Leisure Group /quotes/comstock/15*!iilg/quotes/nls/iilg (IILG 14.76, -0.02, -0.14%) , announced the addition of Mjejane Game Reserve to its global exchange network. The property is a breathtaking 10,000 acre (4,000 hectare) reserve within the world famous Kruger National Park.

Mjejane Game Reserve enjoys a privileged location overlooking the Crocodile River, and on completion later this year, will offer unparalleled "big five" game and bird viewing. It will feature a combination of two-, three- and four-bed apartments and is adjacent to the exclusive Mjejane Safari Lodge. Among the planned amenities at the Lodge are an elegant restaurant, pub, spa, gym, and elevated viewing hide, which owners and guests at the Mjejane Game Reserve also can enjoy.

Central to all activities is the proximity of all types of living creatures -- from hippopotamuses and giraffes to tortoises to more than 500 species of birds. Guests can see herds of buffalo, elephants, lions, leopards, and numerous other game virtually on their doorstep.

"Mjejane is another significant southern African addition to our network of worldwide resorts," said Darren Ettridge, vice president resort sales and service for Europe, Middle East, and Africa for Interval International. "This unique property respects the beauty of the existing natural habitat and allows visitors to experience the unspoiled surroundings and reconnect with nature."

"It is our intention to make this development an international benchmark for the best practice in effective partnerships in the tourism sector," said Michael Whiting, director of Winchester Marketing, the company handling the sales and promotion of Mjejane. "Timesharing is going to continue to be a holidaying method of choice in South Africa. We knew of the reputation of Interval International and we wanted Mjejane affiliated with them."

Despite the continuing efforts on improving service, consumer complaints have increased steadily in Singapore in the past decade, local media reported on Monday.

According to the Consumers Association of Singapore (CASE), the number of complaints rose over 50 percent from 13,995 in 2000 to 21,782 last year, local English newspaper the Straits Times reported.

Timeshare, travel, motor vehicle, furniture, electronics and renovation industries, which caused the most grief ten years ago, are still aggravating consumers at present.

The education, real estate, maid recruitment and beauty-related industry are the new comers in the top 10 list of business that were most complained last year.

The newspaper said that that besides the own problems of these businesses, more transactions, higher consumer savviness and wider use of internet also contribute to the rise in consumer complaints.

"To be honest, it's all looking bad," spluttered Steven Burrows when we tracked him down in 2008.

It's looking worse now an official report into his role in a huge timeshare scam has been published.

The 52-year-old from Caerphilly, south Wales, was the frontman for companies that promised to have timeshare buyers lined up. Sellers just had to just pay an up-front fee.

There was T-One (UK) Ltd which charged around £500 a time with a hollow promise of a refund in 90 days if no buyer was found.

The Insolvency Service says it "misled customers into believing that a purchaser had been found for their timeshare and that a deposit for the purchase was being held by T-One, when there is no evidence of any timeshares having being sold."

T-One, now in liquidation, has debts of £226,000 it can't pay.

Next there was Mediterranean Leisure (UK) Ltd which used its credit card facility to bank money paid to T-One. It took £353,000 and that's disappeared.

Yacht Trading UK Ltd also told victims it had buyers lined up and has sunk with debts over £500,000.

Harlequin Solutions Ltd took payments and collapsed owing £347,000. Burrows has been banned from being a company director for eight years.

There was no penalty, however, for timeshare toad Toni Muldoon, who had links with this £1.5million scam but was slimy enough to keep his name off the company paperwork.

Florida has launched a war against the timeshare resale industry, announcing Thursday ongoing investigations into 17 companies, as well as a lawsuit against one company.

In 2009, complaints about timeshare resale companies overtook mortgage-related complaints reported to the Florida attorney general.

The attorney general also filed suit against South Daytona-based ResalesBuyOwner.com, its third suit in recent months against timeshare resale companies. Allegations against ResalesBuyOwner.com are that the company forced customers to pay up-front fees for services that were never provided. The company charged customers' credit cards even after they decided not to do business with ResalesBuyOwner.com, the suit says.

The office has also filed suits against American Marketing Group and Hicks Inc., both based in West Palm Beach.

Some 17 companies, many based in South Florida, have been subpoenaed because of complaints about deceptive business practices. Customers have said some of the companies failed to honor cancellation policies, misrepresented the services they would provide and failed to comply with some parts of state and federal telemarketing acts. They include:

• Executive Timeshare Marketing in Tamarac.

• Coastal Timeshare Solutions in Boca Raton

• Worldwide Resorts Direct and Worldwide Marketing Solutions of Palm Beach, doing business as Worldwide Timeshare, in West Palm Beach

• TS Luxury Group in Lake Worth

• C&G Marketing Associates, doing business as Premier Timeshare Solutions in Palm Beach Gardens

• Nationwide Marketing Solutions, doing business as Magnum Advertising Services in Lake Worth

• International Resort Solutions in Lake Worth

• E.A.T. Sales in Boca Raton

• Euroamerican Timeshare in Boynton Beach

• Transatlantic Timeshare in Boynton Beach

• Seabreeze Advertising Corp., also known as SBA Corp. in Daytona Beach

• Timeshare Market Pro in Davie

• International Marketing and Finance in Wellington

• Gold Crown Property Management in Dunedin

• Vacation Property Resales doing business as BUYATIMESHARE.COM in Tampa

• Timeshare Only in Orlando

• PFS Concepts, Inc., doing business as US Vacation in Largo

Already, the state has settled with seven timeshare resale companies, including about $100,000 for customers of World Timeshares of Deerfield Beach; about $90,000 from Timeshare Travels of Boca Raton; $36,000 from Preferred Vacation Resorts of Clearwater; $26,000 from D&D Vacations, doing business as United States Property Services, of Largo; about $37,000 from S.F.C. Group, doing business as TWA Resale, of Orlando.

On Thursday, the state noted one of its largest settlements with a timeshare resale company. Virtual Group of Orange County, which goes by the name Realty Trade, has paid $800,000 in refunds to customers and will pay $500,000 to customers who request refunds in the future.

If you are considering listing your timeshare for sale or rent, you can ask the state about whether complaints have been filed against a company. Call 866-9-NO-SCAM (866-966-7226) or go to www.myfloridalegal.com.

Interval International, a prominent worldwide provider of vacation services and an operating segment of Interval Leisure Group, Inc. /quotes/comstock/15*!iilg/quotes/nls/iilg (IILG 14.76, -0.02, -0.14%) , today revealed that its U.S. resident members reported annual household income greater than $125,000 per year, high product satisfaction with their timeshare ownership, and a commitment to vacationing.

These findings are from Interval International's 2009 U.S. Membership Profile, which was developed from a sample of U.S. resident vacation owners maintaining an active membership with Interval International. The online study was undertaken to provide insights for use in the development of services and benefits to be offered to Interval's membership.

"The observations and insights drawn from this research reinforce the value our members place on vacationing," said David C. Gilbert, executive vice president of resort sales and marketing for Interval International. "This study also represents the latest in Interval's continuing commitment to bring timely and relevant consumer-centric research to the market. Along with our renowned Future Timeshare Buyers series and Affluent Shared Ownership Buyer Profile, these publications serve as a barometer relative to leisure preferences and intentions and assist resort developers in better understanding the psyche of today's vacation consumer."

Notable findings from the 2009 U.S. Membership Profile include:

-- Approximately 88% of Interval's U.S. members report satisfaction with their timeshare ownership.

-- Fully 33 percent of Interval's U.S. members state that they are interested in purchasing additional vacation time.

-- Interval's U.S. members spend approximately 23 nights per year away from home, traveling for leisure.

-- Florida, California, Hawaii, and New York represent the most frequently cited destinations Interval's U.S. members would like to visit in the next two years. Internationally, they cite the Caribbean as their most preferred locale.

Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum continues to go after those in the timeshare resale industry who engage in questionable and - in some cases - fraudulent practices.

Among the actions is what the AG's office calls "a significant settlement that could yield as much as $1.3 million in consumer refunds" and the filing of a lawsuit against a major player in the state's timeshare resale industry.

McCollum also unveiled ongoing investigations into at least 17 timeshare companies and their affiliates throughout the state for deceptive trade practices.

"Florida's consumers are trying to make prudent financial decisions," the attorney general noted, "but many timeshare resale companies are blatantly scamming people by promising sales or refunds and failing to provide services even after taking hefty up-front fees."

Timeshare resale complaints have recently surpassed mortgage-related complaints as the most commonly reported consumer complaint received by the office's Consumer Hotline.

ConsumerAffairs.com has received a sizable number of complaints about the practices of timeshare sellers from consumers across the nation.

"In September of 2007 I paid Timeshares Only almost $600 to list my timeshare which was to be a one time fee and they would run the ad until it sold," says Shannon of Harrisburg, NC. "Well, I have not had one call regarding an offer for my timeshare although I have reduced the price a few times. I also decided to check the ad myself on the web site and could not find it. When I contacted them to ask why they told me I had to periodically 'reactivate it'. If I paid you a fee and you agreed to run the ad until it sold, I should not have to call and reactivate it! This business is a complete SCAM!"

"I was told by timeshares only they guaranteed to sell my timeshare or rent it," John from Baltimore writes ConsumerAffairs.com. "Well it's been over three years since they took my money and still not one call to sell or even rent. I was also promised that they would refund my money if I sold it before they did. Well I did sell it and still no refund either."

The lawsuit filed in Florida against Resales Buy Owner.com, Inc. contends the company engaged in a systematic pattern of deception that improperly induced consumers to pay up-front fees for timeshare resale services that were never provided.

According to consumer complaints, the company would indicate it either had a buyer or renter interested in the timeshare and that there would be no problem renting or selling the timeshare within 90 to 120 days. The lawsuit maintains the company merely advertised the property listings, if taking any action at all, and allegedly charged consumers' credit cards even after consumers opted not to do business with the company. The lawsuit seeks an order prohibiting the company from engaging in further deceptive conduct and seeks full restitution on behalf of victimized consumers, civil penalties and reimbursement for fees and costs.

McCollum's Office also announced a significant settlement with Virtual Group, Inc., resolving allegations the company failed to provide promised refunds to consumers. Virtual Group, which does business under the name Realty Trade, offered timeshare resale and rental advertising services to consumers looking to sell or lease their timeshare properties.

As a result of the investigation, Realty Trade has already paid over $800,000 in refunds to 799 consumers. The company will also make another $500,000 available to consumers who make new refund requests.

In addition to the litigation and the settlement announced today, in recent months, the Attorney General's Office has subpoenaed 17 timeshare resale companies and their affiliates over allegations of potentially deceptive business practices.

Common complaints about these companies involve the use of false and deceptive claims to entice consumers to pay up-front fees, including assertions that buyers are allegedly ready and willing to buy or rent the consumers' timeshare.

Companies also often allegedly fail to honor cancellation policies, misrepresent the actual services that will be provided to consumers, and fail to comply with elements of state and federal telemarketing acts.

The initiative was launched in 2009 in response to the growing number of timeshare resale complaints received by the Attorney General's Office.

A popular option for struggling families is unloading their time share so they can recoup their investment and stop paying maintenance fees. Many businesses specialize in reselling time shares, but some companies are using deceptive sales tactics to bilk thousands from already cash-strapped time-share owners.

Unfortunately, not as many vacationers are buying time shares, and sales dropped 40 percent in 2009, according to the American Resort Development Association. As a result, timeshare owners who are eager to sell are increasingly susceptible to offers that are too good to be true. Some unscrupulous timeshare resellers are taking advantage of the situation by misleading time-share owners into paying thousands of dollars in the hopes of unloading their time share quickly.

Companies like Resorts Condo Management, Creative Vacation Solutions, Platinum Property Exchange and Premier Timeshare Solutions have earned F ratings with BBB for convincing time-share owners that they already have interested buyers but require thousands of dollars in upfront fees – such as closing costs – from the sellers and ultimately fail to complete the promised sale.

A consumer in another state was promised by PTS that the business had a buyer for his timeshares, but if the sales did not go through, he would get his money back. He paid PTS a total of $7,710. The sale never went through, and he never got his money back, despite the guarantee from the company.

BBB offers the following advice to people looking for help in selling their time share:

#9830;Use a business you can trust – Make sure the time-share reseller you use is a BBB-accredited business or at the very least has a good rating with BBB. Go to bbb.org for a report.

#9830;Confirm licensing requirements – Some timeshare resellers will use fake addresses or PO boxes in order to mislead timeshare owners. Confirm the company's location and in what states it does business. Ask if the company's salespeople are licensed to sell real estate where your time share is located. If so, verify this with the state licensing board.

#9830;Get the facts on the figures – Find out if the business charges a commission. Do they handle the entire closing and provide escrow services? Do they charge an up-front listing or advertising fee? What does it cover and is it refundable?

#9830;Be wary of upfront fees – Many complainants to BBB were burned by companies charging an advance “appraisal” fee for services or were told that they just had to pay closing costs and the time share would be taken off their hands. Consider opting for a company that offers to sell for a fee only after the time share is sold.

#9830;Don't fall for the hard sell or an offer that sounds too good to be true – Don't agree to anything over the phone, but ask the salesperson to send you written materials. Think about it and don't be pressured. Unscrupulous timeshare resellers may claim your property is in demand and they can sell it immediately; unfortunately, these promises are often empty.

Unite, the trade union that represents the majority of British Airways (BA) cabin crew, has announced its intention to take strike action on the following dates:

* 20, 21 and 22 March 2010
* 27, 28, 29 and 30 March 2010


At the moment all of our flights are continuing to operate as normal.

If a strike does go ahead, we are intending to operate a range of flights.

Not all our flights will be cancelled.

We are currently finalising our flight schedules for the strike period and have temporarily stopped selling seats on all flights operating on the strike dates.

We will finalise these schedules in the next few days and further information will be posted here as soon as it is available.

The most up to date information is given below and at this stage our call centre agents will not have any additional information regarding which flights are operating during the strike period.

The rest of this page provides information on:-

* the planning of our flight schedule for the strike period
* the cancellation, refund and rebooking options available to you if you are affected
* updating your details in case we need to contact you


Our flight schedule plans for proposed strike dates

The tables below give details of our anticipated operations for the proposed strike period.


Loganair-BA 4000 to BA 4199
LAN Airlines-BA 4300 to BA 4309
Malev-BA 4450 to BA 4499
Cathay Pacific-BA 4550 to BA 4599
Japan Airlines-BA 4600 to BA 4649
American Airlines-BA 5000 to BA 5699
Aer Lingus-BA 5700 to BA 5999
Finnair-BA 6000 to BA 6099
Flybe-BA 6100 to BA 6199
Comair-BA 6200 to BA 6449
OpenSkies-BA 7000 to BA 7039
Meridiana Fly-BA 7040 to BA 7049
Iberia-BA 7050 to BA 7299
Qantas-BA 7300 to BA 7499
Various-BA 7500 to BA 7599
Sun-Air of Scandinavia A/S-BA 8200 to BA 8299
BA CityFlyer-BA 8450 to BA 8769
Rebooking and refund options for strike dates

All flights to and from London City and all longhaul flights to and from London Gatwick will continue to operate normally and any changes to bookings on these flights are subject to the original fare rules.

For all other flights, until we finalise our flying schedule, if you are booked to travel between 19 and 31 March 2010, you have the choice of rebooking or cancelling and obtaining a refund.

More information from http://www.britishairways.com/travel/strike-ballot/public/en_gb?refevent=HOME_URGENT_CENTRE

Marriott Vacation Club's Global Owner Services was recently named "Contact Center of the Year (Over 100 Seats)" at the Fourth Annual Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service, which were presented on February 22 at the Eden Roc Renaissance Hotel in Miami Beach, Fla.

"Being recognized as the 'Contact Center of the Year' is a great honor and a wonderful acknowledgment of the daily commitment our Owner Services Associates in Salt Lake City put forth," said Ron Essig, vice president, global owner products and services for Marriott Vacation Club International. "The formula for our success continues to be our relentless focus on customer service."

Marriott Vacation Club's Owner Services is home to more than 450 Associates and provides outstanding customer service, worldwide reservations and Marriott Rewards assistance to over 400,000 Marriott Owners at more than 50 distinct resorts worldwide.

The Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service recognize and honor the accomplishments of sales, customer service, and call center professionals, departments and teams worldwide. This year's awards included more than 500 submitted entries across 27 categories for customer service and 41 for sales. The Stevie Awards' Board of Judges and Advisors, a group that includes many of the leading figures in business, selected winners from among the finalists that had been narrowed down by business professionals worldwide during preliminary judging.

Previously, Marriott Vacation Club International received the coveted Stevie in 2003, 2006 and 2008 for "Best Sales Organization" and in 2007 was recognized as the "Best Customer Service Organization" at the American Business Awards.

About The Stevie Awards
Stevie Awards are conferred in four programs: The American Business Awards, The International Business Awards, the Stevie Awards for Women in Business, and the Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service. Honoring organizations of all types and sizes and the people behind them, the Stevies recognize outstanding performances in the workplace worldwide.

THERE will be a trial over allegations that five people connected to a holiday marketing firm in Exeter were involved in unfair trading practices.

Mark Herbert, Michael Girvin, John Girvin, Carol Small and Karen Henthorne pleaded not guilty to all 15 charges, at Exeter Crown Court yesterday.

Judge Philip Wassall said he was directing not guilty pleas for St Frances Marketing Ltd, as it had not sent a representative to the hearing. The firm will also face trial over the same 15 charges, whether or not a representative attends.

Allegations include selling holidays which were similar to timeshare schemes without telling customers; not giving them enough time to make a decision; claiming holidays were free when they involved a fee and wrongly informing them that they could not cancel a holiday product.

Judge Wassall said there would be a further plea and case management hearing on a date to be set. This could be on May 14 or the soonest date available after then.

A trial could potentially be held on November 1, although this has not been confirmed yet. The court heard that the trial could last up to five weeks.

Small, 45, is of Ide Lane, Exeter; Henthorne, 44, is also of Ide Lane. Herbert, 55, is of West Huntspill, Somerset; Michael Girvin, 49, of Salterton Road, Exmouth and John Girvin, 46, of Newlands Avenue, Exmouth. They were all jointly charged with 15 offences with dates in 2008 and last year, in a prosecution brought by Devon Trading Standards.

Three of these charges alleged that they engaged in unfair practices, by telling a customer that a holiday product was not a timeshare product.

The charges said that this was likely to have deceived the customer as the information was factually correct but the product was so similar to timeshare as to be indistinguishable.

They denied two charges of telling a customer that they had a free holiday, when in fact £49 had to be paid.

Four alleged offences were of fraud, involving dishonestly representing to customers that a holiday company was associated with organisations such the Association of British Travel Agents.

Another two charges involved allegedly falsely stating that a holiday product was only available for a limited time.

The charges said this would lead the customer to make an immediate decision and deprive them of time to make a considered choice.

A further charge of fraud involved dishonestly representing to a couple, in a letter, that they could not cancel their holiday product or contract.

The defendants also denied three further charges. The nature of these offences, or details of what they involved, were not explained when they were read out in court.

The court clerk said these were specimen charges, involving offences in 2008.

Details of the potential financial value of the 15 charges were not stated in the charges.

Judge Wassall released the defendants on bail until the next court hearing.

Marriott International Inc., the largest U.S. hotel chain, plans to double the number of rooms in Europe to 80,000 by 2015.

"Europe is the largest lodging market in the world and holds enormous potential for Marriott," Amy McPherson, managing director of the company's European unit, told Bloomberg News in an e-mailed statement today. "We are confident we are well-positioned to achieve this ambitious expansion goal."

Marriott, based in Bethesda, Md., currently operates 174 hotels in 24 European countries, which generate annual revenue of almost $3 billion. It will open hotels in Moscow, Budapest and Ankara, Turkey, this year.

The company, which operates hotels and timeshare resorts across 66 countries and territories, has proportionally fewer overseas hotel rooms than rivals such as Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc. Three-quarters of its 35,000 full-service hotel rooms under development are outside the U.S.

Private aviation operator Regent Jet says it has created a new concept in the fractional ownership industry and a new way for individuals and companies to manage their private aviation requirements. Its Private Jet Hedging services aims to give jet membership programme subscribers a way to reduce their cost-per-hour by hedging against their fixed-rate programmes.

The company says Private Jet Hedging offers clients access to pristine, late-model aircraft through a network of vetted aircraft operators, often at substantial savings over fixed-rate programmes.

“Jet membership programmes offer a generally high level of service with fixed pricing designed to produce outsized profits on some flights to offset other ‘loss-leader’ flights,” says Justin Sullivan, managing director of Regent Jet. “Regent Jet advises clients whether their programme offers the best value on a trip-by- trip basis. More often than not, we deliver a superior value.”

“Working with us is very simple – there are no fees or up-front deposits. We simply build a travel profile so that we understand each client’s preferences and requirements, and then provide clients with a 24- number to access our team. Clients either call or e-mail their travel requirements, and we analyze each trip, presenting a portfolio of options. Clients than choose the aircraft that is right for them, arrange for payment, and fly. There are no long-term commitments, no contracts and no strings attached,” said Sullivan.

The owners of the Aspen Club are asking City Council to grant them a zoning variance so they may build timeshare condominiums in a residential neighborhood whose zoning prohibits such uses. They are asking the council to bend the rules for the benefit of the owners' wallets and their business — a privately owned and members-only club.

The city is being asked to bail out the Aspen Club, which is in direct competition with the city's own club — the Aspen Recreation Center (ARC). The ARC does not break even or turn a profit. It would seem prudent for council to refuse to consider any arguments to bend the rules by any entity that is in competition with the city's own, subsidized facility until that facility is at least paying for itself. In other words, if the Aspen Club would like to guarantee the shortfalls in operating costs of the city's competing Rec Center, the City Council then may be asked to hear their plea for the privilege to have a timeshare hotel.

The council should have enough respect for the taxpayers' enormous investment in the ARC that it insist on compensation of some kind to protect that investment.

I think the obvious answer is to respect the zoning that is in place in the neighborhood where the Aspen Club resides, to reject the Aspen Club's proposal and to let free-market competition rule. If the Aspen Club cannot survive without being granted special favors, then so be it.

Imagine the situation. You have booked the trip of a lifetime. You spent hours on the internet researching and booking the flights, the hotels, concert tickets, an excursion and timed entrance tickets to a popular museum. You have found the best possible prices and you have paid for them all in advance. Then, a few days before you are due to travel, a strike is announced.

It could be organised by BA cabin crew, currently threatening up to 10 days of action, or, as last week, it could be Lufthansa's pilots or the French or Greek air traffic controllers. What do you do? Frantically try to cancel everything and get your money back? (Highly unlikely.) Or shift your travel dates? (The hotel and excursion operator might be obliging, but they might not. And you could be liable for hefty cancellation charges.)

Or, do you hit the internet again and try to find alternative flights with another airline? If you are quick enough off the mark, you might find that some are still available – but they could easily cost you three or four times more than the original ones. Whatever you decide, you can be sure that a solution will be time-consuming and expensive.

If you had booked all your arrangements through a tour operator, you would be in a rather different position. Yes, you might have to postpone your holiday, but you would not have the trouble of rearranging all the details yourself and you would not be liable for any of the subsidiary cancellation charges if it proved impossible to travel.

It's only when things go wrong – strikes, natural disasters, or technical issues such as "the wrong kind of snow", which paralysed Eurostar services before Christmas and temporarily closed so many airports and disrupted so many flights this year – that the stark realities of independent travel become clear.

For a golden decade, travellers have been shunning package holidays and revelling in an ever greater flexibility to hunt out the best places to stay and create their own itineraries. Not only has the variety of destinations to which we can fly (and the choice of flights from regional airports) multiplied spectacularly, but air fares have fallen to an all-time low.
At the same time, the internet has enabled us not only to identify and explore all our options – you can log on to a hotel website, see videos of the rooms, look at the latest menu, even check the "rack" rates – but also, via email, to communicate directly with the hotel, and at no cost.

It isn't just hotels with which you can do this, of course. Whether you want to book a tour of Boston harbour, a guide to the Louvre, or a two-week safari with a local operator in Kenya, you can get as much information as you would ever get from a tour operator, and know that you are buying it at the local price.
Specialist sites – most notably price-comparison engines such as Travelsupermarket.com, Kayak.com and Skyscanner.com – also enable us to scan all our options for flights, hotels and car hire to make sure we are getting the best deals, whether we are booking at the last minute or months in advance.

In fact, the flexibility of the internet even allows us to stage and separate our transactions so that we get the very best possible deal on a flight or hire car (usually this means booking well in advance) and still pick up a discount on a hotel room (usually by booking at the last minute). This actually gives independent travellers a financial advantage over tour operators, who have to make sure they meet their commitments to offering a specific hotel and flight when you book.
In short, the traditional strengths of many tour operators have been undermined. Their business can only be based on three essentials – superior knowledge and experience of the destination, the ability either to buy flights, rooms and other services at a good rate (or to be able to charge a premium to their customers) and the offer to save you time by organising all the elements on your behalf.

Nowadays, few airlines pay tour operators commission (or offer much in the way of trade discounts) and hotels know that they can sell many more of their rooms direct to clients. Of course, a really strong tour operator that brings a lot of business to a hotel can still perhaps secure advantages for its clients – upgrading them to a better room at no extra charge, for example. But it doesn't always work that way. Sometimes, some of the grander hotels have a tendency to treat private clients with more consideration than those who arrive through a tour operator.

But perhaps the role of the tour operator is not dead. As the recession has bitten ever deeper, the value of a good operator has become more and more apparent. It can still offer one thing on a package holiday that you can never get as an independent traveller: security and peace of mind. Certainly, readers of The Daily Telegraph and users of our website seem to be coming around to that point of view. An online poll at telegraph.co.uk/travel this week showed that recent strikes and disasters have persuaded nearly half of respondents to consider booking their holidays with a tour operator. If that translates into real bookings, it will mark a significant shift back towards the traditional holiday. And when you look at the increasing uncertainty surrounding travel, that's hardly surprising. Here are three key problems that have plagued holidaymakers in recent months.

STRIKES
The threat of a strike by cabin crew over Christmas – a stoppage was ruled illegal by the High Court because of the conduct of the ballot – caused enormous anxiety for anyone who had booked to fly with British Airways. Independent travellers were left not knowing whether to try to cancel their flights or try to buy new flights with alternative airlines. Given the uncertainty over whether there will be a strike this month, many more travellers are in much the same position. Those who have booked with a tour operator will at least know that they will not lose their money even if they lose their holiday. And those who have booked with the best and most conscientious operators may even find that the problem is solved for them. As described, right, even though he was not obliged to, one tour operator, who had several escorted tours that would have been affected by the BA strikes threatened at Christmas, spent £20,000 buying new tickets with alternative airlines to ensure that his customers could travel as planned. Infuriatingly for him, it turned out to be money wasted because the strike didn't happen.

DISASTERS
Natural (or man-made) disasters, besides causing death and destruction for locals, can cause serious problems for travellers, who either get caught up in the upheavals or have to alter their plans to avoid the consequences.
One event at the end of last month that affected tourists was the flooding that led to mudslides on the Inca trails to Machu Picchu in Peru. Thousands of travellers were stranded and the site will probably remain closed at least until the end of March – disrupting the plans of many. Any independent travellers who were caught up would not only be out of pocket, they would also have had to reorganise their travel arrangements themselves. Any who have committed to travel this month will probably not be able to see the monuments. Those who have booked with a tour operator are in a better position. For example, Nick van Gruisen, managing director of the Ultimate Travel Company, is arranging for his customers to postpone their travel to a later date.
Last week's earthquake in Chile has also left many British travellers in difficulties. But those who have booked with a tour operator at least have someone to turn to. Last Frontiers, a Latin America specialist, said staff spent last weekend tracking down customers who were already in Chile and trying to make arrangements to help where necessary.

FINANCIAL COLLAPSE
The first high-profile victim in the travel industry of the economic downturn was XL Leisure Group, which collapsed nearly 18 months ago. But the recession continues to take its toll. Last December, 4,000 passengers were left stranded by the collapse of the Globespan Group and Globespan Airways. In such cases, depending on how they booked their tickets, even some independent travellers are protected by the Atol bonding scheme; they can complete their holidays if they have already flown to the destination, and they can claim refunds for the cost of their flights if they have yet to travel. But no independent traveller would be covered for the cost of cancelling or changing other arrangements made independently, such as hotel bookings; and most insurance policies will not cover this sort of "consequential loss". Commitments like this are covered only by legally bonded or insured tour operators.
Those are just three of the more prominent areas where travellers are facing more and more uncertainty. In these recessionary times, when so much about life has also become more unpredictable and holidays probably mean more to people than ever, such considerations weigh more heavily. So, for many it will make sense to sacrifice some independence and opt for the greater security of a package holiday.

Of course, not all tour operators are as reliable and committed to their customers as those I have quoted above. Many take a more short-term view. They know that they are not legally obliged to allow cancellation or postponement of travel plans unless the Foreign Office is advising against travel to a destination. But they still have a duty of care to their customers. When things go wrong, it is the tour operator, not you, that has to put them right.

WHAT IS A PACKAGE?
You need to be a little careful when booking to make sure that what you are being sold really is a package. For it to count as one, you must usually book your travel arrangements and accommodation (or another service such as a hire car) at the same time and make a single payment. Packages including a flight must, by law, be covered by the Atol protection scheme. For details of how to check your arrangements, see telegraph.co.uk/travel/columnists

BA STRIKES: THE COST TO OPERATORS
We received this letter from a well-known tour operator who wishes to remain anonymous

"Every year or so I resolve to write a piece called 'Why I hate BA'. Of course, common sense and good manners soon oust such a daft idea, but the loss of £20,000 as a consequence of the threatened strike in December by BA cabin crew was not the Christmas present we most wanted at the end of a troublesome year. We had eight tours scheduled over the Christmas/New Year period, five of which involved return flights with BA – 10 flights in all, of which, eight fell within the announced strike period, affecting about 100 of our clients.

"When the union, Unite, announced the strike was going ahead, we had a choice. We could sit back — albeit uncomfortably — and hope that at least some of our flights were among the few that BA promised would get off the ground, and that they would put our other clients on alternative airlines. There would be delays, maybe of days, and some clients might pull out, unable to face the uncertainty and stress of hours at Terminal 5 or Gatwick. The advantage of this option was that it would cost us nothing. The disadvantages were that 100 clients would be plunged into deep anxiety and maybe have their Christmases spoiled. We chose another course of action, as any responsible tour operator would: immediately to try to get all our affected clients onto flights with other airlines. Immediacy was essential as hundreds of thousands of others would soon be scrambling for the few remaining alternative airline seats and most would not succeed. We could not wait , therefore, for the outcome of the legal challenge to the strike launched by BA.

"In the end, the strike was deemed unlawful and didn’t go ahead. Meanwhile, for the best part of a week several of us were engaged in hunting down these flight seats, speaking to clients, replanning itineraries, adjusting coach, hotel and restaurant bookings — and then undoing all the changes. We succeeded in finding alternative flights for everyone — quite a triumph — but none was used. And none, strictly speaking, was refundable ( to its credit, Alitalia did give our money back, although there was no obligation to do so). The net loss to us was, as already stated, £20,000. But that’s the price you have to pay to look after your customers properly."

The US yesterday passed a new law designed to boost dwindling numbers of foreign tourists – it will start charging them for the privilege of entering the country.

The bizarre move has prompted controversy on both sides of the Atlantic and warnings that it could backfire. Under the Travel Promotion Act signed into law by Barack Obama yesterday, a new national marketing body will be set up to promote US holidays abroad, a job that until now has only been done piecemeal by individual states. However the money to pay for the "multi-channel marketing campaign" is to be raised in part from visiting tourists, by charging them $10 for permission to enter. The rest of the funding will be raised in private sector contributions.

Currently visitors from Britain and the EU do not need a visa to visit the US on holiday, but must complete an ESTA (Electronic Scheme for Travel Authorisation) application online, giving detailed personal information. Filling in the form has been free, but it will now cost of $10 per person. The date for the introduction of the fee has not yet been announced, but officials estimate it will take between five months and a year to set up a system to collect the money.

Many within the tourism industry, in both the US and the UK, welcomed the move, saying it would help reverse the decline in visitors as a result of the global recession and increasing public concerns about the treatment of tourists by US immigration officials.

"President Obama has acted to support the power of travel to serve as an economic stimulant, job generator and diplomatic tool," said Roger Dow, president of the US Travel Association, an umbrella body for the US travel industry.

Richard Wimms, managing director of British-based holiday company The Vacations Group, said the move was "great news". "Up until now the US hasn't had a central fund to promote travel there, but it has been much needed and is long overdue," he said. "As far as the $10 fee is concerned, I think it's a relatively small sum compared with the cost of the whole holiday, and is certainly far less than the airport tax charged for leaving the UK."

But others have warned the US levy might prompt tit-for-tat charges from more countries.

"We generally oppose tourism taxes, which this is – we're concerned about retaliatory action by other countries," said Steve Lott, a North America spokesman for the International Air Transport Association, which represents 230 airlines worldwide. "We don't want foreigners to have to jump through so many hoops that they just give up and don't bother coming ot the US. "

According to the US Travel Association, foreign visitor numbers have dropped every year since 2001, with 2.4 million fewer overseas visitors last year than in 2000.

Useful information about how RDO protects consumers, and where to get news, consumer advice and updates on the latest developments in the timeshare industry

What is RDO?

The Resort Development Organisation (RDO) was established following the decision by the European Timeshare Federation in February 1998 to integrate all national timeshare trade assocations across Europe into one official membership organisation. It works to improve representation for reputable companies in Europe's timeshare sector, and to promote and maintain quality standards,fair trading and growth within the expanding timeshare industry. RDO is a non-profit member association that actively campaigns against fraudulent operators, provides information to the authorities to help shut down bogus holiday clubs and actively works to alert consumers to timeshare scams and protect consumers' interests.

Who are its members?

Industry members representing a wide variety of sectors of the timeshare industry have joined RDO, from countries all over Europe. Some of the biggest names in the resort development industry are RDO members, such as Hilton, Pestana Resorts and Sol Melia, and exchange companies, management, marketing companies, trustees, finance entities and resale companies. Every member must abide by a strict code of ethics which helps protect consumers who can look forward to enjoying many years of quality timeshare holidays with the peace of mind and the assurance that they are buying from a reputable, quality company.

Who does RDO work with to regulate the timeshare sector?

RDO works with governments at both national and European level to create fair legislation that will not only protect consumers' interests, but ensure that overall industry standards are maintained, that positive growth is encouraged. RDO liaises with the media to increase consumer awareness of both the timeshare and fractional ownership industries.

Facts and figures

90 industry members
51 fradulent timeshare operators closed down since 2008
14 countries with National Associations, including Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Cyprus, Finland (covering the Scandinavian region), Germany, Greece, Italy, Portugal, Spain and the UK

The Fractional Ownership Trade Association is FSOTA

In addition to its activities as an official timeshare industry body in Europe, RDO is also the parent company of FSOTA www.fsota.org, the Fractional and Shared Ownership Trade Assocaition. FSOTA promotes the growth of the fractional and shared ownership industry in a responsible, honest and transparent manner, based on principles of fair trading, professionalism and quality of products and services.

News and consumer alerts, advice and updates at GoTimeshare and GoFractional

Consumers and industry followers looking for news, consumer advice and features on timeshare and fractional ownership can visit RDO's consumer websites: www.gotimeshare.org and www.gofractional.org for more on new developments, consumer alerts and more details on what's happening in the industry today, both in Europe and all over the world.

Marriott Vacation Club's Global Owner Services was recently named "Contact Center of the Year (Over 100 Seats)" at the Fourth Annual Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service, which were presented on February 22 at the Eden Roc Renaissance Hotel in Miami Beach, Fla.

"Being recognized as the 'Contact Center of the Year' is a great honor and a wonderful acknowledgment of the daily commitment our Owner Services Associates in Salt Lake City put forth," said Ron Essig, vice president, global owner products and services for Marriott Vacation Club International. "The formula for our success continues to be our relentless focus on customer service."

Marriott Vacation Club's Owner Services is home to more than 450 Associates and provides outstanding customer service, worldwide reservations and Marriott Rewards assistance to over 400,000 Marriott Owners at more than 50 distinct resorts worldwide.

The Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service recognize and honor the accomplishments of sales, customer service, and call center professionals, departments and teams worldwide. This year's awards included more than 500 submitted entries across 27 categories for customer service and 41 for sales. The Stevie Awards' Board of Judges and Advisors, a group that includes many of the leading figures in business, selected winners from among the finalists that had been narrowed down by business professionals worldwide during preliminary judging.

Previously, Marriott Vacation Club International received the coveted Stevie in 2003, 2006 and 2008 for "Best Sales Organization" and in 2007 was recognized as the "Best Customer Service Organization" at the American Business Awards.

About The Stevie Awards
Stevie Awards are conferred in four programs: The American Business Awards, The International Business Awards, the Stevie Awards for Women in Business, and the Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service. Honoring organizations of all types and sizes and the people behind them, the Stevies recognize outstanding performances in the workplace worldwide.

Learn more about the Stevie Awards at www.stevieawards.com.

A surprise real estate maneuver could have allowed the largest influx of vacationers to crowd into a one-bedroom time-share in Boca Raton beachgoing history.

For the past eight years, a real estate dispute that slipped through the bureaucratic cracks left Palm Beach County taxpayers the unknowing owners of a one-week stake in a Boca Raton beachside time-share.

"We didn't even know about it. Somehow it slipped through," said Ross Hering, county director of property and real estate management. "The quickest, easiest way out of it was to convey it back to the association."

One of the owners at La Boca Casa, just across the street from South Beach Park, in 2002 became disgruntled with the condominium management company and filed a deed giving his yearly one-week stay in Unit 19 to Palm Beach County.

The ownership change slipped past officials at the county clerk's office and went unnoticed for years. Last spring, representatives for La Boca Casa trying to recoup unpaid condominium assessments for Unit 19 discovered that the delinquent owner owing more than $4,000 happened to be Palm Beach County.

Instead of holding onto the newfound public property, the County Commission last week quietly agreed to sign over ownership of the one-week time-share to the La Boca Casa owners association.

The market value of the time-share was about $2,500, well below what was owed in overdue assessments, Hering said.

Unit 19 at La Boca Casa overlooks the pool and hot tub at the small, two-story condominium complex on A1A, just north of Palmetto Park Road.

Keeping the time share would not have offered Palm Beach County taxpayers much time to use it, as the deed gave the county annual access to Unit 19 for one week during early February.

Giving each of the county's more than 600,000 property taxpayers a turn would have allowed them less than one second each year to enjoy the one-bedroom unit or hit the pool.

Opening the time-share up to all 1.3 million county residents would have cut those mini-vacations to about half a second each.

The more than 900 owners of one-week allotments at La Boca Casa come from across the country and as far away as South America, association president Joseph Heidrich said.

"We have an address on A1A one week a year," said Heidrich, who also lives in Boca Raton. "It's a great location."

Owners of the one-week time-shares are charged about $600 a year to help pay for condominium operations, said Richard Schwartz of the management company that operates La Boca Casa.

"Sometimes it's hard to resell. Sometimes they stop paying their fees," Schwartz said. "On occasion we will have an owner who prepares a deed without the resort's OK."

The former time-share owner, John Golick of Durham, N.C., said Wednesday that he was surprised it took the county and the La Boca Casa association so long to find about the deed he filed in 2002.

Golick said rising association fees prompted him to get rid of the time-share that he used to offer as a rental. Golick said he tried to give the tim- share to the association, but was turned down. He said an attorney advised him to deed the time-share to a government agency.

"It no longer had any value. It was a shame," said Golick. "I thought the county would transfer it over to the association."

The county through the years has found itself the owner of rundown houses or unwanted strips of land, but Hering said this was the first time-share signed over to the county that he could remember.

"Sometimes people do it rather than go through the tax foreclosure process," Hering said. "Who knows what causes people to do strange things like this. It's kind of weird."

Michael Piccininni needs to unload a timeshare he bought 17 years ago at a resort in Williamsburg, Va. Piccininni, 75, and his wife who is 78, are stuck paying almost $900 a year in maintenance fees they can't afford for his two-week ownership in the unit.

Scammers can smell the blood in the water and have descended on the Piccininnis and thousands of other stuck timeshare owners who see a glimmer of hope in the empty promises of these con artists.

Piccininni gets calls and postcards weekly at his Cape Coral home from companies that want to sell his timeshare or claim to have a buyer.

"I just got a scam call on Tuesday. He wanted me to pay $900 up front," Piccininni said.

Piccininni said he's fallen for this scam before.

"I'm a desperate man," he said. "And when you are desperate, you do desperate things."

Piccininni said he didn't realize what a burden the lifetime obligation of maintenance fees would be. In fact, if Piccininni hasn't sold before going to the eternal timeshare in the sky, his estate and heirs will be stuck with the fees.

Michael Kohl, of Leesburg, said he's been trying for years to sell a Lehigh Acres timeshare he bought for $3,700 in 1982 for $800. He was living up North at the time and vacationed in Florida.

Kohl said scam operations are always calling to purchase or rent his timeshares (he owns another in Kissimmee), but he's come to realize that an upfront payment is always a scam.

There are thousands of timeshare owners stuck in the same position as Piccininni and Kohl, said Brian Rogers, the owner of Timeshare Users Group.

Rogers described timeshares as a depreciating asset. Resells, especially in this economy, he said, go for pennies on the dollar.

Not all timeshare locations are tough sells, Rogers said, but even the best timeshares in premier weeks over Christmas or Fourth of July will drop 50 percent in price when they come up for resale.

Most people don't realize they can buy timeshares from an owner who no longer wants it for half-price or better than the price offered at the resort, Rogers said.

Piccininni for example, paid $12,000 for his time share. The resort currently sells them for $20,000. But there are three listings on Rogers tug2.net Web site for this resort ranging from one penny to $3,000. Only one sold in the past year, he said, and that was for $900.

Rogers said there are about 2,000 to 3,000 active timeshare listings on his Web site. And in a year, only 10 percent will sell.

Scam operations, he said, are charging anywhere from $500 to $4,000 to list people's timeshares.

"People have discovered this monstrous desperation mindset of these timeshare owners," Rogers said, making them easy targets.

The Florida Attorney General's Office lists 10 timeshare resale operations under investigation. The attorney general has filed lawsuits against three resale companies including two that were charging up to $1,500 for "advertising services" for timeshares that people can't even give away.

Perspective Magazine has announced that 11 new companies have selected the timeshare and fractional ownership publication for marketing campaigns.

The magazine said that the deals had been secured since the news broke of the launch of Perspective Magazine North America, which will be introduced in both online and print forms later this month.

Indeed, the 11 firms bought advertising and advertorial packages within seven days of the first announcement.

It will also be officially distributed via delegate registration bags to all attendees at the American Resort Development Association (ARDA) Convention in Las Vegas.

Since its inception, the company has secured media sponsorship deals with 18 major conventions and events around the world every year.

Perspective Magazine believes the first print issue, focusing on timeshare and fractional ownership issues within the US, Canada, Mexico and Caribbean regions, will see a launch circulation of over 7,000 subscribers.

The firm also expects Perspective Magazine North America will be the biggest monthly publication for the timeshare and fractional ownership sectors in the US.

More than 250 fractional property industry professionals gathered in London last week for the third annual Fractional Summit.

Delegates from countries as diverse as the Seychelles, Thailand, Portugal, Italy, Spain and the USA, were treated to two days of thought provoking presentations, Q&A sessions and panel discussions.

Fractional Life founder Piers Brown kicked off proceedings by introducing the theme of the conference – Changing Times, Changing Markets. He explained change is the one constant in everybody's life, and that businesses and individuals can either embrace change and use it to their advantage, or become a victim of it.

Piers was followed by one of the most respected figures in the fractional and resort development world, Dr Richard Ragatz. He presented his “Fractional 101” model, which gave a concise and honest representation of the pros and cons of fractional schemes for both consumers and developers.

Luca Franco of Luxury Leisure Properties International then gave a talk about the best way to convert suitable whole ownership resorts in to mixed-use developments incorporating fractional ownership properties.

The first panel discussion of this year's Summit focused on the lessons the US can teach other markets. The US fractional industry has endured two tough years following a phenomenal period of growth. Panellists were in agreement that the slump has been caused by general economic circumstances rather than industry-specific problems. Wally Hobson of Hobson Advisors said: “US consumers are not buying any discretionary products right now – it's not just limited to real estate. The psychology needs to change – people don't feel wealthy at the moment, even if they are.”

Gregg Anderson of The Registry Collection said he expected to see the first signs of a recovery in the second half of 2010, while Hobson and Wayne Sobien of First American Title Insurance Company thought it would be 2011 or possibly even 2012 before we see any significant improvement in the market.

Luca Franco said that an increase in both consumer finance and consumer confidence were essential to recovery, while Dick Ragatz pointed out that around 25 per cent of US fractional buyers already own timeshare, and that this is a market which could well take off in Europe too.

The next presentation, by Nick Turner of the Registry Collection, looked at the value of rental programmes and exchange programme to fractional developments. Turner was followed by a Legal Q & A which discussed trustee ownership, developer funding and business models.

After lunch, three brave developers submitted their business models to the fractional world's answer to Dragons' Den, with Jerry Cobb of FOC, Peter Kempf of Peter Kempf International and Peter Hutchinson of Citadel Trustees all giving their frank opinions on the suitability of the schemes for fractional ownership, as well as examining the strengths and weaknesses of each proposition.

James Bacon, UK account manager for Google Property then gave the audience a snapshot of the rise of online video and how it is being harnessed commercially in the property industry and other sectors. He gamely showed delegates some examples despite a less than co-operative Wi Fi connection in The Marriott's ballroom.

Continuing the online theme, a panel of new media experts debated the relative merits of SEO and social media, with the consensus being that an optimised balance of the two is needed to ensure your business can reach as many potential consumer as possible.

The first day was rounded off with a rousing call to action from Paul Gardner Bougaard, chairman of FSOTA, who urged developers to join and support its trade association for the good of the industry.

Any cobwebs which might have resulted from Thursday's Johnnie Walker whisky tasting night were soon blown away during the first session of day two, when Valerie McDermott of 47 Park Street gave a dynamic presentation on selling fractionals to high net worth consumers. “The ability to deal with the customer is as important as the product itself,” said McDermott, adding that “transparency is key when dealing with luxury buyers”.

Friday's first panel discussion examined the potential of mid-market fractionals. Paul Owen of the Association of International Property Professionals said: “Gaining the trust of a public who are very risk averse is going to be key over the next two to three years if mid-market fractionals are going to take off.”

Robin Barrasford of Barrasford & Bird Worldwide warned the audience that “overpricing could kill this industry, and there are people out there doing it now”, and tipped fractional schemes in the UK as a big growth area. Bryan Lunt of Absolute World said that the majority of his fractional customers are existing timeshare owners.

The next session focused on the role of agents in selling fractional property. The overall conclusion was that there is a lot of education to be done before agents understand fractionals and sell them properly. Richard Edgar of the National Association of Estate Agents warned that many agents have started selling fractionals because they saw it as an easy sell, when it's actually much more complicated. Charlotte Rose Melsom of yooPhuket reminded the audience of the need to do your homework: “Developers need to do due diligence on agents and vice versa.”

A panel discussion on resales then followed, with Peter Kempf saying that in-house resales can be a good revenue stream at established resorts, while Andy Sirkin of Sirkin Fractional Lawyers said: “Buyers and sellers are both increasingly moving towards fractionals with an exit strategy, largely due to the effects of the recession”.

The winners of the 2010 Fractional Life Awards were then presented with their prizes, with Pestana Golf, yooPhuket and The Registry Collection the triumphant trio this year. yooPhuket won the Readers' Choice award with an impressive 60 per cent of the votes cast.

The final session was a Q&A discussing the future of fractionals. Nick Turner pointed out that buyer demographics were changing: “The majority of fractional buyers over the next few years are going to come from Europe, including Russia and Eastern Europe, and to a lesser extent from the Middle East,” he said.

But the session was dominated by finance, both for developers and consumers, and how banks' lack of understanding of fractional ownership was preventing the sector from significant growth. Piers Brown said he would endeavour to get representation from the banking fraternity at next year's event, so they can see for themselves the potential fractional ownership has, as well as commissioning further detailed research into the sector for developers to present to their bankers.

Fractional Summit 2010 provided a good barometer for the state of the market, and the increased attendance showed that an appetite for fractionals in Europe is truly here.

Forthcoming events from the Fractional Life team include Fractional Summit USA, to be held at the InterContinental Hotel in Miami from August 31st to September 1st 2010, and the Fractional Expo 2010, the UK's only B2C fractional exhibition, to be held at Broadgate Event Venues in the heart of the City of London from 13th to 15th September 2010.

According to a recent survey, high-maintenance fees and exchange availability are the top complaints of timeshare owners about their vacation property.

Redweek.com says that timeshare exchange problems and consistently increasing maintenance fees were the primary complaints of timeshare owners. The respondents were also concerned about honest marketers, resale opportunities, and resort improvements.

“RedWeek.com visitors are telling us that it's not easy to make their desired exchange,” explained Randy Conrads, CEO of RedWeek.com. “It is also clear that flexibility and reasonable fees are vital to timeshare.”

Here is the breakdown of the responses:

• Exchange availability, 34%
• High maintenance fees, 28%
• Honesty and less pressure, 14%
• Resale opportunities, 12%
• Resort improvements, 7%

Consumers also mentioned that they would like to have a better understanding of timesharing information.

The airline Aer Arann has announced a major expansion of its operations at City of Derry Airport.

The airline will launch new services to Manchester and Edinburgh which will begin in May.

The airline is also moving its morning flight to Dublin from 0810 to 0740, due to passenger demand.

The Mayor of Derry City Council, which owns the airport, has welcomed the expansion as "tremendous news" for passengers across the North-West.

Councillor Paul Fleming said: "We have an excellent working relationship with Aer Arann, who provide our daily Dublin service, and look forward to working with them to deliver a successful service to Manchester and Edinburgh."

The Manchester service will operate seven days per week while the Edinburgh service will operate six days per week. The Dublin service remains a double daily service operating seven days per week.
Welcoming the new routes, Aer Arann's Director of Corporate Affairs Andrew Kelly said: "The new routes and schedule are proof of our commitment to offering direct services from the Derry region to major international cities."

Foreign travellers to the US face paying a fee of $10 to help fund a planned new body to promote tourism to the country.

The Corporation for Travel Promotion public-private partnership is due to be rubber stamped by President Obama after winning Senate approval.

The initiative is funded through a matching program of up to $100 million in private sector contributions and a $10 fee on visitors to the US who do not pay $131 for a visa to enter the country.

The fee will be collected once every two years in conjunction with the Department of Homeland Security’s Electronic System for Travel Authorisation.

This means the US taxpayer will avoid making any contribution.

The travel promotion partnership could attract 1.6 million additional visitors from other countries and create more than $4 billion in consumer spending a year.

The Corporation will work with the US departments of Commerce, Homeland Security and State to develop a nationally co-ordinated, multi-channel marketing and communications program to attract more international visitors and explain changing travel security policies.

International travel to the US has suffered due to negative perceptions about travel processes following increased security reforms following the 9/11 terrorist attacks on New York and Washington.

The US has lost visitors, with 2.4 million fewer overseas travelers last year than in 2000.

This is in a decade where 46 million more international travelers took long-haul trips.

US tourism authorities believe the country’s failure to keep pace with the growth in international long-haul travel has cost a combined 68 million visitors and more than $500 billion in total spending over the last ten years.

Caroline Beteta, chair of the US Travel Association and president and CEO of the California Travel & Tourism Commission, said: “We know how successful a public-private partnership to promote travel can be from our own experience at the state level.

“With the best minds coming together from government and private industry to boost international travel to our country, we can make travel an even stronger economic engine for America.”

Commenting on legislation which establishes the Corporation, US Travel Association president and CEO Roger Dow said: “The United States Congress has sent a clear message that travel is a high priority to our nation and that tangible steps must be taken to increase travel to and within the United States.”

The Foreign Office is warning Britons against 'all but essential travel' to the regions worst affected by the earthquake in Chile over the weekend.

The epicentre of the quake, which measured 8.8 on the Richter Scale and struck in the early hours of Saturday was some 30 miles off Chile's coast. The cities of Concepcion, Talca and the capital Santiago have seen the worst damage with 700 people already confirmed dead, a number that is expected to rise say Chilean officials.
Hundreds of thousands of people in 53 countries were evacuated from their homes and millions more put on alert after a tsunami from the quake raced across the Pacific.

The FCO website is advising that the regions of Maule and Biobio are currently 'states of catastrophe' and should be avoided by travellers. Phone links to The British Embassy in Santiago are down and Britons in Chile are being asked to 'follow the advice of the local authorities'.
Those due to travel to the country this week have been forced to change their plans as much of Chile's infrastructure, particularly south of Santiago, has been damaged with transport links, including the Pan-American Highway, severely affected.

The country has long been popular with independent travellers with around 65,000 Britons visiting Chile every year. Popular regions include Atacama in the north, the Lakes region and Patagonia in the far south and visitors will usually take domestic flights between the regions, which means relatively few tourists travel through the areas that have been the worst affected.

"Nobody really drives the full length of the country," Mike James, Operations Director at holiday company Exodus told TravelMail. "Most tourists will fly to Patagonia either from Buenos Aires in Argentina or Santiago so visitors don't really travel through cities like Concepcion."

He continued: "We had one group of ten in the north of the country, in the Atacama region and they didn't even feel it [the earthquake]. They're trying to find additional things to do in the small town where they're staying because they can't leave until the airport reopens."
The main gateway for flights, Santiago Airport, has been closed since the earthquake but there are reports that it may reopen later today. Internet connections are now thought to be operating again. Iberia and LAN Chile, which both fly from the UK to Santiago via Madrid, have suspended flights as has American Airlines which flies from Miami.

Frances Tuke of ABTA, The Travel Association told TravelMail: "As far as we know there are only a few hundred Britons currently on holiday in Chile and our members are all reporting that they're safe and well in their hotels."
Adventure tour operator Explore has cancelled a 16-day 'Atacama to Paine' itinerary and elsewhere, cruises to the Galapagos Islands were also disrupted as the threat of a tsunami prevented boats from landing or anchoring off the islands.

Although aftershocks are still being felt across southern Chile, a giant tidal wave which could have spread as far as Australia, Hawaii, Philippines and Russia hasn't materialised although large waves have hit land - amateur video footage taken in Hawaii shows a beach being flooded.
Meanwhile, fears are growing for four British backpackers missing in Chile. Kirsty Duff and Dave Sandercock were on a surfing holiday round South America but have not been heard from since Thursday. They were in Pichilemu, a surf resort about three hours from Santiago, when it was rocked by the quake.

Kirsty’s cousin Clare Slipper, 19, said: 'We have not heard from them since Thursday. They arrived in Chile three weeks ago from Peru, and were living in the town, which is between the two cities badly affected by the earthquake.
'They are both really into surfing and had been travelling and they went there to surf. The good news is there have been no reported fatalities or casualties in the town.
'But it has been quite badly damaged and because we have not heard from them, the family is getting worried. We are just waiting to hear from the British Embassy in case there has been any news.'
Another couple, Andre Lanyon from Guernsey and Laura Hapgood, both 29, also went to Pichilemu on Friday.

For more information on the Chile earthquake, visit www.fco.gov.uk or call the Foreign and Commonwealth Office on +44 207 008 0000.