Hilton Hawaiian Village, building a 274-unit time-share tower, finds it is not attracting only the usual California buyers for such offerings.

More than 60 percent of buyers for the Waikiki product are from Japan, according to Mark Wang, senior vice president for the Asia-Pacific region of Hilton Grand Vacations.

"We made a decision to go after the Japanese market," Wang said. "It's been a great investment for us."

Hilton Grand Vacations has a sales office in Tokyo and is opening one this year in Osaka.

Since the international Hilton hotel chain was a separate company until it was acquired and reabsorbed by Hilton Hotels Corp. in March, the Japanese offices are selling time shares in the United States.

Hilton already has time-share units in the Lagoon and Kalia towers at its Waikiki campus, the largest Hilton in the world. But its time-share unit count will double with the completion of the 38-story Grand Waikikian Tower, which had its groundbreaking a week ago.

Wang said the Grand Waikikian will be the first "purpose-built" time-share structure in Waikiki.

ILX Resorts Incorporated (AMEX:ILX) announced today the appointment of Dennis M. Morrissey as senior vice president and Sharyn Cappello as vice president. Most recently Morrissey has been vice president and general manager of Los Abrigados Resort & Spa, the company's flagship resort in Sedona, Ariz. Cappello has been responsible for sales of vacation ownership interests to existing ILX vacation owners.


"We are delighted to recognize with this promotion Dennis' valuable contributions to the company and to the Sedona community," said Joe Martori, chairman and CEO of ILX Resorts. He added, "His management of our four resort properties in Sedona, and his involvement in civic matters and charitable endeavors make a difference in the experience of Sedona for our customers, neighbors and employees."

Martori continued, "In addition, we have been extremely pleased with Sharyn Cappello's ability to further increase sales productivity from a very important segment of our market: our vacation owners. With this promotion, we recognize her sales leadership and look forward to the benefits to our business of the expansion of her responsibilities."

ILX Resorts acquires, develops, and operates premier timeshare resorts primarily in the western United States that provide its owners with extraordinary vacation experiences. ILX's portfolio of world-class properties includes eight resorts in Arizona, one in Indiana, one in Colorado, one in San Carlos, Mexico, and land in Puerto Penasco ("Rocky Point"), Mexico and Sedona, Ariz., both of which are in the early planning stages. It also, through Premiere Vacation Club, has acquired, and continues to acquire, inventory at the Carriage House in Las Vegas and in addition has acquired inventory at the Scottsdale Camelback Resort in Scottsdale, Ariz. For more information, visit: www.ilxresorts.com.

For more information, contact Joseph P. Martori, chairman, or Margaret Eardley, chief financial officer, at 602-957-2777.

Starwood Vacation Ownership, a division of Resorts Worldwide, Inc., has finalized the acquisition of nearly 29 acres in the Desert Willow Golf Resort development from Intrawest Corporation.

Terms of the deal were not divulged.

Starwood’s decision to build a Westin-branded vacation ownership within the Palm Desert-owned golf resort property comes on the heels of a June 8 announcement that the city had signed an exclusive negotiating agreement with Triyar Hospitality LLC of Los Angeles to develop a $100 million W brand luxury hotel and timeshare facility at the golf resort.

“We are excited to extend our presence in Southern California with our second Westin-branded vacation ownership resort in the area,’’ said Raymond “Rip” Gellein, Jr., chief executive officer of Starwood Vacation Ownership.

“Desert Willow is a tremendous location in an important market which is a proven winner for high-end vacation ownership resorts.”

Construction is expected to start in 2007. The resort is expected to include luxury villas, a clubhouse and reception building, swimming pool, game room, fitness center and sales center.

This will be the eighth Westin Vacation Ownership resort either completed or in development including resorts in Hawaii, Arizona, St. John, Cancun and Aruba.

Bluegreen Corp. has disclosed plans for both a new resort property and an up to $137.5 million note deal with a bank.

The Boca Raton-based timeshare and communities company said its newest resort will be in Williamsburg, Va., less than a block from the historic district of Colonial Williamsburg.

George F. Donovan, Bluegreen (NYSE: BXG) president and chief executive officer, said more than 4 million people visit the Williamsburg area each year.

"This new property, our second in Virginia, joining Shenandoah Crossing in Gordonsville, reflects Bluegreen's continued commitment to providing our customers with access to some of the nation's most popular vacation destinations," he said.

The company sad it expects to begin construction this fall to transform the 139-room Liberty Inn and Conference Center into 76 one- and two-bedroom timeshare units.

The units are to be available for occupancy in the second quarter 2007.

About 15,000 square feet of the hotel and conference center are to be renovated into a Bluegreen preview center, which the company said it also expects to be available in the second quarter 2007.

Bluegreen Resorts Management is currently operating the Liberty Inn and Conference Center. The company said it is doing so to capitalize on the high-demand summer season and to allow time to complete the permitting process before starting construction.

The company said it plans to renovate and continue to use the 160-room Patrick Henry Inn for overnight accommodations.

If it can buy a second parcel of land, Bluegreen said it will want to build 400 campus-style timeshare units with phased development planned for completion by 2011. Current plans for that property include 380 two-bedroom units and 20 three-bedroom units.

As for its financial deal, Bluegreen said it has entered a vacation ownership receivables purchase facility with Branch Banking and Trust Co. (BB&T).

The June 1 agreement allows for transfers of notes for a total purchase price of up to $137.5 million, on a revolving basis through May 2008.

While ownership of the receivables was transferred for legal purposes, Bluegreen said it will account for transfer of the receivables under the facility as a financing transaction.

Consequently, the company said it will continue to reflect the receivables as assets and reflect the associated obligations as liabilities on its balance sheet.

Bluegreen said it transferred $19.5 million of receivables into the new facility, June 22, generating about $16.5 million in cash proceeds the company said it will use for general operating purposes.

Bluegreen said it expects to transfer an additional $15.5 million of timeshare receivables into the facility within the next several days.

Donovan said he expects the facility, with another timeshare receivables purchase facility, to provide Bluegreen with about $198 million of remaining availability over the next 22-24 months.

Shares closed Wednesday $11.44. The 52-week high was $19.71 on Aug. 1. The 52-week low was $11.04 on June 19

This week government will be amending the timeshare promotion act to stop timeshare companies from pestering tourists in the streets.

The legislation has already been approved and will become law on Tuesday or Friday when it will be published in the government gazette.

Security patrols

To enforce the legislation, the Malta Tourism Authority (MTA) will be outsourcing security patrols to police the timeshare touts. Also, the MTA will ask timeshare companies to deposit around 3000 Euros for each rep they employ as a type of bond that will ensure that they work in a regulated way.

Instead of waiting to take each incident through the courts the MTA will be fining the companies found breaking the rules and taking the money out of the deposited bond money. The timeshare companies will have to make it up immediately to the required amount.

Timeshare companies employ sales representatives who go out in the streets to try and sell property in Malta to visiting tourists.

Stakeholders in the tourism industry had been complaining for years that tourists were going through a rough time because they were being approached by individuals to ask them to attend presentations that can last four hours in the hope that some will buy holiday property ownership and timeshares.

Tourists verbally abused

Reports also said that some tourists who declined the timeshare reps' invitation were verbally abused.

The practice was damaging the tourism industry which was seeking remedy to the situation. The tourism authority also recognised that some visitors were so put off the island after the hard-sell efforts of the touts that they would not return.

The news was welcomed by Roger Munns, director of www.yourmalta.com, a website engaged in promoting Malta as a tourism destination. He said that “some holiday makers are being approached on a daily basis - sometimes twice a day - by timeshare touts who get paid a commission for every potential buyer they persuade to take to a presentation.”

Touts asking for directions

In a press release which maltastar.com has managed to obtain before publication, Mr Munns said that timeshare touts bothering visitors to the island are enough in some cases to make sure that repeat visits do not happen. But the Malta tourist authorities have seen the damage it is doing to the island’s economy and have decided to act.

YourMalta cited recent examples of why action on timeshare companies has become necessary.

In two recent cases, British tourists have been targetted, by young male and female timeshare reps, and while some were based outside hotels in Malta others were driving around in cars and stopping tourists as though they were going to ask for directions pointing to a map of Malta before delivering their sales pitch, with some more persistent than others.

The timeshare reps are predominantly from the UK and targetting UK tourists who visit the island for the good weather in Malta, and the UK is a main market for Malta. On occasions the British tourists have had to resort to threaten violence to be left in peace, with the timeshare reps retorting that they were only trying to make a living.

Malta losing out

www.yourmalta.com said that while the timeshare reps are trying to earn a commission, for every penny they earn they could be losing the Malta economy far more with every approach they make as the tourists soon get fed up with the persistent efforts to sell them something they don't want. Those tourists are sometimes having their whole holiday spoiled and are less likely to return.

The statement further said that the Malta Tourist Authority is to be commended for not only recognising the problem, but taking action to ensure the Maltese economy doesn't lose millions in lost revenue from unhappy Brits who might otherwise take their spending money elsewhere in the future.

The number of consumers using the Internet to make travel plans has been almost cut in half, according to the US Conference Board's Consumer Internet Barometer, released today.

Only 28 percent of all men and 25 percent of surveyed women plan to research airline rates and availability online over the next three months, compared to 41 percent of all men and 35 percent of women in 2004. More men are using the Internet to make travel arrangements, with more consumers going online to research travel options and opportunities than to actually book trips.

"Vacation plans may have fallen victim to higher gas prices, rising travel costs and an increasingly uncertain economic outlook," says Lynn Franco, Director of The Conference Board Consumer Research Center. "The latest consumer confidence survey shows consumers' vacation intentions are at a two-year low and this slowing in the rate of travel-related activity online only adds to overall concerns."

Three other major findings from the latest Consumer Internet Barometer:

- The top online travel searches are for driving instructions, with weather and temperature patterns and lodging information next.
- Some 19 percent of surveyed men and 15 percent of women say they will book airline tickets online during the next three months. About 17 percent of the men and 14 percent of the women plan to book motels, hotels and other lodging. "The nature of business travel, which is still dominated by men (68 percent of the total), may require men to have more need and more familiarity to research and purchase airline tickets online," explains Ruth Sharp, Vice President of Analytic Services at TNS.
- About 10 percent of all consumer travel arrangements are influenced by promotional emails from airlines, hotels and travel websites.

Satisfaction Runs High, and Email Promotions Can Make a Difference

Among those using the Internet to make travel arrangements, satisfaction levels are high. More than 95 percent are "extremely" or "somewhat" satisfied with their ability to get general destination information online; more than 94 percent are "extremely" or "somewhat" satisfied with their ability to make flight arrangements online; nearly 93 percent express those same levels of satisfaction about making lodging arrangements; and nearly 91 percent are "extremely" or "somewhat" satisfied about their ability to rent a car online. Eighty-nine percent of respondents said they were "extremely" or "somewhat" satisfied with their ability to make entertainment arrangements online.

Promotional emails are used most effectively by airlines and register more success among men than women. Some 66 percent of men versus 59 percent of women say these promotional messages have influenced their travel within the past six months. Hotels making use of email promotions were more likely to entice women (38 percent) than men (28 percent). Travel websites also fared better with women than men - 45 percent versus 31 percent, respectively.

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) urges the House Judiciary Committee to extend the October 26 deadline for requiring the 27 countries in the U.S. Visa Waiver Program to start issuing passports that contain biometrics.

In letters to lawmakers, which hold a hearing on the issue Wednesday, and again in a speech to the International Aviation Club of Washington, IATA Director General and CEO Giovanni Bisignani stressed the need for the two-year extension sought by the Bush Administration.Most countries, including the U.K., Ireland, Japan, Spain, Italy, Germany and the United States itself, will not be able to securely issue passports with biometric identifiers by the deadline.

"IATA has long supported more secure travel documentation incorporating biometrics. We worked with the International Civil Aviation Organization to develop biometric standards. The problem is that the time frame for compliance is simply not achievable. Tens of thousands of travelers with legitimate passports issued on or after October 26 will not be able to enter the U.S. Chaos will result if the deadline is not extended," Bisignani said.

"The key to effective international security is coordination," said Bisignani. IATA fears that the unworkable time frame for compliance could result in tit-for-tat reprisals from other governments. "A practical focus on security is essential. We cannot risk creating a situation where international travel, trade and commerce could be compromised by political one-upmanship in response to unrealistic demands. The economic implications would be serious without any positive impact on security."

Nearly seven million British holidaymakers heading for Europe this summer are being warned of a potentially life-threatening disease. Tick Borne Encephalitis (TBE) can lead to meningitis and in serious cases result in paralysis and death, with about one in 30 cases proving fatal. TBE is now endemic in 16 established and emerging holiday hotspots.

Figures from the Civil Aviation Authority show that 6.9m holidaymakers flew from Britain’s top holiday airports to TBE endemic countries last summer and a similar number is expected this year. Now the Tick Alert campaign is highlighting the dangers of infections that ticks can cause including TBE abroad and Lyme disease in the UK. The chances of being bitten are greater as global warming increases the number of ticks in the countryside.

TBE at-risk groups include all visitors to rural areas of endemic countries, particularly those participating in outdoor activities such as trekking, hiking, climbing, cycling and camping – popular pursuits on family and active holidays - who have not taken bite prevention precautions. It is estimated that there are over 10,000 cases of TBE each year in endemic countries.

Central and eastern Europe is fast becoming a popular family and active holiday destination with UK visitors to Hungary up by 47 per cent in the summer of 2005 compared to the same period in 2004. Similarly visitors to Poland rose by 92 per cent.

Tick diseases are not only found abroad. Families planning camping and activity holidays in rural areas of the UK are being urged to protect themselves against Lyme disease which is estimated to affect up to 2,000 people a year.

The Foreign Office advises that visitors to TBE endemic regions seek advice from their local surgery or clinic – well before travelling.

A Blackpool travel agent has taken a punt on the Lancashire town being chosen for the UK’s first super-casino by trademarking the name “Lancs Vegas”.

Save‘n’Sail Cruise Village managing director Philip Nuttall hopes the famous seaside resort that made its name in the Victorian era will rediscover some of its former glory if the casino is given the go-ahead by boosting inbound and domestic tourism.

Blackpool is joint favourite with London’s Millennium Dome to be chosen for the casino after being shortlisted by the Government on Wednesday.

“If it all goes ahead there is no reason why we cannot look at developing a travel firm to take advantage of the increase in hotels and flights coming into Blackpool airport,” Nuttall said.

“Other places like Manchester and Liverpool have made massive investments and you can see the benefits. It’s key to bringing people back to UK towns and cities. Blackpool Council has done a fantastic job putting together the bid and I hope it gets it.”

Blackpool hopes the redevelopment of the 23-acre sight south of the iconic tower and including the famous Golden Mile will attract up to 5.5 million extra tourists on top of its 16 million annual visitors. Plans include the casino, a conference centre, leisure and retail facilities and five-star hotels.

The Tourism Society chairman David Curtis-Brignell said: “This is a great opportunity for a resort like Blackpool to regenerate, but it will have to look at the infrastructure. It won’t be able to become Las Vegas, or Lancs Vegas, over night.”

Travel consumer protection is crumbling and even the Civil Aviation Authority fears only a major company failure will force ministers to act.

CAA consumer protection group director Richard Jackson issued the warning at a conference of travel lawyers last week. “The ATOL scheme will be financially unsustainable sooner rather than later,” he said. “Consumer protection is a mess.”

He described tour operator plans to ditch ATOL bonding in favour of cheaper alternatives as “perfectly reasonable” and bemoaned the lack of Government interest. “A big failure would help put the issue in front of ministers. Ministerial embarrassment is what produced the ATOL system 30 years ago [after Court Line’s collapse].”

TUI has threatened to drop its ATOL this autumn and Thomas Cook has signalled a willingness to do the same.

The move would shift the balance between the 20 million UK travellers expected to fly on bonded holidays this year and the 11.2 million the CAA predicts will take unprotected ‘DIY breaks’, making this summer possibly the last when a majority fly abroad on ATOL-protected packages.

ABTA head of legal services Simon Bunce said: “Consumers seem willing to forego protection. Even ABTA travel agents seem happy selling non-bonded holidays. We’ll see more operators break out of the scheme.” ABTA marked a significant shift in its consumer message on financial protection in leaflets sent to travel agents last week.

“Our message is most of what is sold by ABTA members will be protected and you can discuss it with your agent or operator,” said Bunce. “It was never true that everything members sold was covered.”

He acknowledged the possibility of a high-profile failure: “Are we waving goodbye to our reputation with consumers? It’s a risk.”

Sunvil Holidays managing director Noel Josephides, director of the Association of Independent Tour Operators, believes the trade’s reputation is at stake. He fears consumers will desert small travel firms when they wake up to the risks. “The public will migrate to organisations with household names such as Thomson, which they know are unlikely to fail,” he said.

The CAA and ABTA are awaiting an appeal hearing on the ruling in January that the ATOL scheme could not be extended to companies selling DIY holidays. The CAA is consulting on a scheme to scrap bonding in favour of a £1 charge on holidays.

LEADING members of the trade fear the £10 billion takeover of BAA by Ferrovial of Spain could see investment in regional airports slashed, especially in Scotland, as the group seeks to recoup its outlay.

Scottish Passengers Agents’ Association president Sandy MacPherson warned the new owners were likely to focus on Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted at the expense of Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen. He said increased capacity was needed at Glasgow, as well as improved transport links to all three airports.

“I’m concerned the new owners may treat the Scottish airports as a bit of a backwater,” said MacPherson.

British Airways chief executive Willie Walsh warned: “The people who want to buy BAA are stark business people.” He said Ferrovial would look to make significant returns and described those already made by BAA as “excessive”.

Departures from regional airports have exploded in recent years, with tour operators expanding their regional programmes in the wake of the low-cost boom. Passenger numbers from regional airports doubled last year to 95 million.

Travel 2 sales manager Tom Sneddon said: “We’re looking for growth through regional airports and Edinburgh and Glasgow have been part of this with routes to the US and Dubai.”

Nicola Francis, manager of Stirling-based Unicorn Travel, said the takeover could be bad for Scottish agents. “All our customers want to go direct, they don’t want to fly via London,” she said. But Francis admitted it would be no surprise to see Ferrovial turn away from Scotland, with lower investment resulting in fewer new services.

The three Scottish airports saw annual passenger numbers rise from 19.2 million to 20.1 million last year, but these remain a fraction of the 123 million who flew from Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted.

A spokesman for Thomas Cook Airlines said the company would expect the new owner to honour its service level agreements, which cover spending on infrastructure.

He said: “We want the same level of service for customers no matter where they are flying from. We’ll put pressure on to make sure that happens.”

The Civil Aviation Authority has said it will not allow increases in airport charges to cover the cost of the takeover – to the delight of airlines, which have consistently hit out at BAA over its fees.

The Office of Fair Trading is due to announce at the end of this month whether it will investigate the UK airport market, a process that could lead to the break-up of BAA.

Ferrovial, which already owns Belfast City Airport and a half-share of Bristol, has claimed to be unfazed by a possible inquiry.

It is likely to complete its takeover, despite a possible counter bid by a consortium led by Goldman Sachs, since BAA’s directors have accepted the Spanish offer. BAA refused to comment.

Investigators on both sides of the Atlantic are probing whether British Airways orchestrated the price-fixing of passenger tickets.

In a brief statement, the London-based airline said Britain's Office of Fair Trading and the U.S. Department of Justice are looking into "alleged cartel activity involving British Airways and other airlines in relation to pricing of passenger air transportation, including fuel surcharges."

British Airways also said Thursday that it has put two of its top managers on leave while the investigation continues.

The news led to an almost six per cent drop in British Airways stock on the London Stock Exchange.

Several U.S. airlines have been contacted by investigators. Some said they have been told they aren't targets of the probe. Others refused to say. A spokesperson for Air Canada told CBC News Online the airline has not been contacted.

Last February, British Airways was among 14 airlines investigated by anti-trust officials in the EU and the U.S. about alleged price-fixing in the air cargo business.

More than 68% of timeshare owners own more than one week. Although the vast majority of first-time owners purchased retail, from the developer, most 2nd and 3rd week buyers have learned a valuable lesson and looked to the resale market.

Recent interviews of timeshare buyers by Lisa Schreier, founder of independent timeshare consulting firm Timeshare Insights (www.timeshareinsights.com), and author of Timeshare Vacations for Dummies, reveals key reasons for purchasing multiple timeshare weeks.

“Most of the owners that I interviewed said that the number one reason for purchasing more timeshare was that they really enjoyed timeshare vacations and didn’t want to go back to the “old” way of renting a hotel or motel,” says Schreier. “They said that despite what people who ‘don’t get’ timeshare say, it’s a great product.”

While many owners choose to own in a few different locations worldwide, one of the participants owns six weeks at two resorts not even 3 miles apart from each other in Orlando. “Living in Central Florida, that surprised me,” said Lisa, “but then you realize that for many people, this really is the vacation capital of the world.”

The freely downloadable report, Why Timeshare Owners Buy Multiple Weeks, is a collaboration with Holiday Resales (www.HolidayGroup.com), a large Seattle-based timeshare reseller. Says David Skinner, Holiday’s CEO, “Like all businesses, the key demographics of the timeshare business are changing – we’re so happy Lisa is helping us to better understand the wants and needs of a new breed of timeshare buyer.”

This is the first of a series of research reports that Ms. Schreier will be authoring in conjunction with Holiday Group. Her next piece investigates timeshare “resorts” that aren’t really resorts at all, a common ploy among less-than-conscientious timeshare developers.

About Lisa Ann Schreier. A former salesperson at a number of timeshare resorts, she is the founder of Timeshare Insights, an independent consulting service. She is also the author of both Surviving a Timeshare Presentation…Confessions From The Sales Table, and Timeshare Vacations for Dummies. Ms. Schreier is a frequent contributor to media outlets around the country, most recently in the Ladies Home Journal, Grand Magazine, Barron’s, and Penn and Teller’s Showtime series, ‘Bull****,” and will soon be featured in Consumer Digest and the in-flight magazine for Air Tran. For interview information, contact Ms. Schreier directly, or her publicist, Bob Ibach, at 847.590.5302.

About Holiday. Founded in 1992, Holiday Resales is a member of the Holiday Group of timeshare and resort services companies. Headquartered in sunny Seattle, Holiday connects thousands of vacation buyers with discount timeshares every year. For more information visit www.HolidayGroup.com.

A hotel and golf clubhouse are central elements of the planned redevelopment of Melreese Golf Course, but the project could also include entertainment and cultural facilities, space for shops, restaurants and offices, according to a request for proposals from the City of Miami.

While a number of uses will be permitted, the focus will be on golf, said Aldo Bustamante, project manager for the city.

"The golf course is recognized as an 18-hole championship public golf course equal in quality to any private or resort golf course in the area," he said. "The city is seeking to enhance the existing facility and create a premier golf destination capable of accommodating tournament participants, conference attendees, amateur golfers and young players."

The request also states the city will grant a 50 year-lease term on the property with options for two 10-year renewals. The city has been seeking a developer for the 135-acre course, at 1802 NW 37th Ave. just east of Miami International Airport, since 2004.

"We envision the completed development as a welcoming mix of uses to include a clubhouse and pro shop with a first-class hotel and related amenities," Mr. Bustamante said. The city initially sought a four-star hotel but later agreed to a three-star.

The city is asking developers for an "integrated package of services that include planning and design, construction, leasing, and management."

The selected developer can build facilities for entertainment, educational and cultural purposes as well as hotel timeshare units and space for retail, restaurants and offices, according to the request for proposals.

In addition, the city says it "will assist in obtaining regulatory and other permits for the project to the extent feasible."

Proposals are due Sept. 12.

A WHALLEY man has been given a nine-month prison sentence, suspended for two years, for his part in a plot to defraud finance companies out of more than £180,000.

Ellis Eastham (46), of Springfield Close, was said to have had a lesser role in the conspiracy than his co-accused, 61-year-old Frederick Fogg, of Styal, Cheshire. Fogg also walked free from court after being sentenced to two years in prison, but suspended for two years.

Both men admitted conspiracy to defraud between May and November 2003 when they appeared at Burnley Crown Court. The court was told of their conspiracy to defraud finance companies in a bid to save an ailing former multi-million pound timeshare company.

Frederick Fogg was the boss of Thurnham Leisure Group Ltd, with a base near Lancaster, but with the business in trouble he turned to crime, roping in his friend, upholsterer Ellis Eastham, who had supplied furniture to his company. Eastham had sold his own business, Easthams of Accrington, but lent his name and bank account to the scam in which lenders were conned into believing new equipment was being bought and fake documents were used.

The court was told how the Thurnham Leisure Group, previously a success story with an annual turnover of more than £10m., suffered crippling losses after the September 11th 2001 terrorist attacks in America and the foot and mouth outbreak in the UK caused banks to lose confidence in businesses. Fogg's barrister told the court his client had gone into debt to try and keep his company going, but it later went bust. The defendant, who, it was claimed, fully intended to repay the cash obtained dishonestly, was now said to be a broken man.

Although now bankrupt, Fogg is involved with another holiday company while Eastham has a new business. Neither man had any previous convictions.

Passing sentence, Judge Beverley Lunt told Fogg, who claimed he had not committed the offence to line his own pockets, that many people were affected by the 9/11 and foot and mouth tragedies, but they struggled through. She said that obviously the scheme was for personal gain, the defendant had "enmeshed" Eastham and his conduct merited custody.

However, she added: "Enough has been taken from you, so I won't take your liberty. I think you need something hanging over you so you are not tempted to do anything like this again."
The judge told Eastham he had a lesser role and had been stupid and criminal to get involved, but he was now a positive influence and concern in the community.

Mr James Rea (prosecuting) told the court: "This was quite clearly a sophisticated scheme which required the active participation of both defendants to lead a number of financial companies into lending money to Thurnham Leisure, in the belief they were funding the acquisition of new goods for the company."

Mr Rea said "the key to the success" of the operation was forged invoices purporting to come from Easthams of Accrington. The prosecutor told the court that Eastham pleaded guilty on the basis that cheques were made out in his favour by the various finance companies and put in his account. He then forwarded the money, making £4,700. Fogg appeared to be the principal beneficiary of the scheme.

Mr John Maxwell, defending Eastham, said he now had a liability of £30,000. His original business went bankrupt and and he was now paying off suppliers with his new venture.

The barrister went on: "He is in every respect a respectable man. He was not motivated by greed. He wanted to help a friend in trouble."
A proceeds of crime hearing is due to be held on October 5th.

A company that sells partial interests in small aircraft to pilots looking to share the expense of owning a plane has set up shop at T.F. Green Airport in Warwick.

AirShares Elite New England began operations yesterday with an open house for pilots and others interested in flying as it looks to tap what it says will be a ripe market.

"Providence is a great city, it's a mature market, it's got a great location," AirShares Elite regional director Brad Rosse said in a telephone interview yesterday.

AirShares markets itself as a way to make flying more affordable for general aviation pilots. Like a timeshare resort, it sells airplane fractional ownership interests that give the buyer the right to use an aircraft without the hassle and cost of maintaining it.

AirShares takes care of all service and logistics.

"It's fueled, it's ready, it's clean and off you go," Rosse said.

At Green, AirShares will be based at Horizon Aviation, which will provide training and other services for AirShares pilots.

Most owners buy one-eighth shares that entitle pilots to 75 hours of flying time each year for $57,500 plus a $1,350 monthly charge, Rosse said. That compares with a $450,000 list price for the four-seat Cirrus SR22 aircraft AirShares uses.

The company is starting with one plane located at Green, but Rosse said it will add more as demand warrants. In the meantime, AirShares will also rely on six other aircraft now based at its only other New England location, Hanscom Airport in Bedford, Mass., which serves the Boston area.

Rosse said the company expects to have 15 to 20 pilots using its service at Green within 18 months.

In Bedford, AirShares has 42 aircraft owners. About 70 percent of those pilots use the planes primarily for business, the others primarily for recreation. Nationally, the company has 210 pilot owners.

Founded in Atlanta in 1999, AirShares has grown to 14 markets, including Rhode Island.

A Richmond-based lodging company opened a six-story hotel in Prince George's County last week. Shamin Hotels , owner of more than 20 lodging facilities, held a grand opening ceremony for the Hilton Garden Inn in Greenbelt.

The hotel has 155 rooms, a Great American Grill restaurant and 4,000 square feet of meeting space. The hotel company plans to work with the city to raise money for a nearby pedestrian-bridge project, company spokesman Steve Mullen said in an e-mail interview.

There are 35 hotels in Prince George's, according to the Prince George's Conference and Visitors Bureau Web site. Most are budget and midrange facilities. Competition among hoteliers in the county is expected to increase in the coming years as National Harbor is built.

The first phase of the National Harbor development, which is under construction on the Potomac River, includes 4 million square feet of hotels, restaurants, stores and condominiums. In April, developer Milton V. Peterson announced that five major hotel chains will open properties at National Harbor, in addition to the 2,000-room hotel and convention center that is being built by Gaylord Hotels.

The additional hotels include a Hampton Inn , a Residence Inn by Marriott , a 195-room Westin , a boutique hotel called Aloft run by Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide , and a 246-unit Fairfield Resorts timeshare property. They will bring the total number of hotel rooms at the 350-acre complex to just under 3,000 and greatly boost hotel options in Prince George's.

A vote by the Marco Island City Council on Monday resulted in the rejection of a request by the Marriott Vacation Club International of Orlando (MVCI) to build a 175-foot tower on the Radisson Suite Beach Resort property.

The council's decision could influence MVCI's decision on whether or not it will go through with its sales agreement to buy the property for $58 million.

"The approval of the first reading of the ordinance is extremely important to our decision from an economic perspective in order to close on this transaction," said David Holton, senior vice president of resort development for MVCI.

Holton also said that even though the company signed a confidentiality agreement with the seller, Boykin Lodging Company, "It will weigh very heavily on our decision."

Timing will also affect the decision, he noted.

According to Boykin, the original closing date was scheduled for June 30. The closing was extended to July 7.


The City Council's next regular meeting is Aug. 7, when the second and final reading of the amended ordinance is scheduled to be on the agenda.

The attorney for MVCI, Craig Woodward of Woodward Pires and Lombardo PA, said he didn't know if his client was going to ask Boykin for another extension.

"The clients are very happy that the ordinance passed by a 5-to-1 vote, which showed solid support for the Marriott's redevelopment," Woodward said on Tuesday. "They are also pleased that it passed on first reading."

He added that the council took into consideration the favorable set-backs, density and square footage requirements that MVCI was hoping for.

"The only issue was height," he said. "The clients will be working on the architectural design to see if the 150 feet will work for them."

The Marco Island Sun Times has learned that at least two other companies are interesting in purchasing the property and are waiting to see if the Marriott deal goes through.

"There are groups out there that I guarantee you would like to purchase the property and keep it a hotel or develop it into a condo/hotel," said Allen DuQuet, Realtor and part owner of Exit Charde Realty on Marco Island.

He said that one group that owns several hotels in the Midwest was close to offering Boykin $60 million for the property.

"But the Marriott beat him to the punch," DuQuet noted.

He also added that timeshares are cheap versions of condominiums. DuQuet would prefer a hotel, or at least a condo/hotel, to replace the Radisson.

"Timeshares do nothing to bring in real money to spend on the island," he said. "They're going to bring in young couples who buy groceries and stay in their timeshare."

Holton presented the company's original plans for the Radisson, which included a 200-foot tower, to the council on May 15. After the meeting, he dodged the question of whether or not the company would back out of the contract if the city didn't agree to their requests.

He later agreed to a height reduction of 175 feet. The Marco Island Planning Board revised an amendment to the Residential Tourist (RT) Zoning District of the city's Land Development Code and allowed the 175-foot limit.
The council, by a 5-1 vote, passed the first reading of a revised amendment on Monday.

To avoid the "canonization" of the west side of South Collier Boulevard, the amendment states that the maximum height that an existing hotel can be redeveloped is 150 feet, from the base flood elevation to the mid-point of the roof.

Councilman Chuck Kiester voted against the limitation. Councilman Ted Forcht was not present.

The height limitation doesn't include the additional heights needed for any elevator shafts, air conditioning units or staircases on the roof.

The rationale for the amendment to the district that was recommended to the council by the planning board was to maintain transient lodgings on the island.

"We believe that it was purely a policy decision by the council based on public input and the existing heights of the buildings," said Marco Island Community Development director Vince Cautero.

During the planning board's meeting on June 16, DuQuet said that he wasn't opposed to the height request, but rejected the idea of turning the Radisson into a timeshare.

"It's important that we maintain rental units on the island, particularly hotel rental units," he said.

DuQuet added that even a condo/hotel would be better for the island's economy than a timeshare.

"A condo/hotel lends itself real well to the real estate industry for years to come - buying and selling condos as an investment and for pleasure," he said.

DuQuet claims that tourists from the U.S. and Europe who stay in the hotels on the island spend more money than timeshare customers.

Marco Island resident Jim Curran said during the planning board meeting that approving MVCI's request would set a precedent for future construction and redevelopment that would "create a path that could easily turn into a slippery slope towards a concrete canyon on the new South Collier Boulevard."

Besides limiting a redeveloped hotel to a height of 150 feet, the amendment states that a developer can redevelop an existing hotel as a timeshare and build up to 26 units per acre, if certain requirements in the ordinance are met.

Currently, timeshare redevelopment projects can build a maximum of 16 units per acre.

If a new developer wants to purchase an existing hotel in the RT District, they would have to apply for a conditional use to go to the higher density.

"Any new developer, if they wish to implement the ordinance amendment, would have to maintain 80 percent of the existing hotel units," Cautero said.

An important requirement that has to be met is that at least seven percent of the room nights in the redeveloped building must be available to the general public each year.

During the meeting, council chairwoman Terri DiSciullo asked city attorney Richard Yovanovich if the other hotels on the island will want to convert to timeshares.

Yovanovich denied that the Marriott's plan for the Radisson was a timeshare.

"We're saying that this timeshare needs to be transient in nature similar to a hotel," he noted. "From the density standpoint, it's being classified as a hotel, not a timeshare.

Yovanovich added that it's important to have the seven percent criteria in the amendment to show that any redevelopment in the RT District is transient in nature.

The amendment affects only the existing hotel properties between the Marriott property and the Sandcastle II building.

Yovanovich is also concerned about the amendment limiting the criteria to just the two hotel properties remaining in the RT District.

"You do have some equal protection arguments," he said. "We need to factor that in and put on the record why there is a rational basis to not allow other properties in the RT District to come in and apply for a conditional use."

Council vice chairman Glenn Tucker said that the commercial interests of the island are best served "by preserving the hotels that are here.

"We want to keep what we've got but we don't want to be more intense," he added. "That's the reason."

Before the council voted, Joey Oliverio, president of the Marco Island Restaurant Association, said that the businesses along South Collier Boulevard hoped that the council would approve the MVCI project.

In addition, resident Beverly Trotter noted that the 26 units per acre increase in the amendment would increase the number of vehicles on the island, creating a need for more parking spaces.

Marriott International plans a vacation timeshare development on St. Kitts, its fourth timeshare property in the Caribbean.

Marriott's Marriott Vacation Club International will develop the complex on the same property as the St. Kitts Marriott Resort & Royal Beach Casino. The eight, three-story buildings will contain a total of 88 two- and three-bedroom units. The timeshares will sell for $16,400 to $69,500 per week, depending on the size and season.

Marriott Vacation Club International also has two timeshares on Aruba and will open one later this year on St. Thomas. Marriott International also operates 15 hotels in the Caribbean.

Marriott (NYSE: MAR) entered the timeshare business in 1984 when it acquired a resort on Hilton Head Island. It now runs about four dozen timeshare properties throughout the United States, Europe and Asia.

The company gets about 25 percent of its income from continuing operations from its timeshare business.

In addition to the St. Kitts property, Marriott expects to bring properties on line this quarter in Kapalua, Hawaii, Miami Beach and San Francisco.

Revenue from the timeshare market increased by close to 70 percent during the 2005/2006 fiscal year, "substantially" exceeding expectations, according to Minister of Financial Services and Investments in the Bahamas, Vincent Peet.

Government officials had projected that collections in this area would have climbed to $600,000 during that period, but that figure ballooned to $813,647.10.

In 2004/2005, revenue was $483,250, according to the minister.

He said that while no new timeshare properties were added in 2005, the application submitted by Taino Beach Resorts in Grand Bahama is currently being reviewed.

Additionally, he said the first 100 percent fractional timeshare resort, the 80/50 Club in Exuma, is expected to open for business in late 2006.

Baha Mar is also expected to have a "significant" timeshare component, according to the minister.

Kerzner International’s fourth quarter results for 2005 indicated that company officials had already begin planning the next phase of their Harborside timeshare development, only months after laying out the welcome mat on the resort’s latest expansion.

At that time, Howard Karawan, president of Kerzner International’s Destination Resorts Segment, revealed that Harborside’s first phase was already sold out and that its second phase was 37 percent purchased.

According to the most recent statistics, The Bahamas welcomed an estimated 40,000 timeshare visitors over the past year.

"The American Resort Development Association indicates that the typical timeshare purchaser spends approximately $3,600 per one week during their stay at a timeshare property," Minister Peet told House members.

"As such, timeshare visitors alone contributed an estimated minimum of $144,000 million to the Bahamian economy, based on a one-week stay only, although a substantial number of timeshare visitors stay up to three weeks."

Based on the minister’s figures, the timeshare industry directly employs a minimum of $2,000 full-time Bahamian workers.

"The year 2006/2007 should be exciting for the timeshare industry in The Bahamas. The launching of the amended Timeshare Act is the number one priority for the timeshare department," the minister said.

"In addition, the department has met with representatives from Marriott Resort and Bella Vista Group (affiliated with Four Seasons Hotel), all respected companies, who have expressed an interest in operating timeshare properties in The Bahamas."

House members also heard that the Island Seas timeshare property in Freeport, Grand Bahama has submitted plans to expand its existing timeshare property.

"They have recently begun construction and estimate that approximately $4 million will be invested to add an additional 50 units to the resort. Approximately 250 Bahamians will be employed in the construction and operational phases," Minister Peet added.

The Health and Consumer Protection Directorate-General will hold a full-day stakeholder workshop on the revision of the timeshare directive on July 19th 2006. The workshop will take place at the Albert Borschette conference centre in Brussels. It will primarily aim at hearing and collecting key stakeholders' views on the current state of play in the timeshare market, with a view to identifying regulatory needs, and improving market outcomes for consumers and businesses.

Timeshare, within the meaning of the Timeshare Directive, is the right to spend a period of time (e.g. one or more weeks) in a holiday property for a specified or specifiable period of the year for three years or longer. The Timeshare Directive was adopted in 1994 in order to protect consumer's interests including: giving purchasers the right to information in a prospectus before signing a contract and requirements for the content of the contract; once the contract is signed, the consumer has a cooling-off period of at least 10 days, during which he can withdraw from the contract without giving any reason; and a ban on deposits throughout the cooling-off period.

Since the adoption of the Directive, however, new products and contracts have been developed, which are not covered by the legislation. These new products include those which can be called 'timeshare-like products' as well as the so-called 'travel discount clubs'. Resale and exchange of timeshare schemes are not covered either by the existing legislation. Recognising the problems that timeshare consumers are facing, the Commission aims at closing these regulatory gaps, at ensuring that consumers have adequate protection and at creating a level playing field in the market for timeshare and certain other holiday related products.

Interested parties are invited to express their interest in participating at the conference by noon on Monday, June 26th 2006, by sending an email to sanco-b2@ec.europa.eu. Some funding is available for covering travel expenses, and interested individuals and organisations interested in obtaining such funding, are invited to make the relevant request in their expression of interest in participating at the workshop.

Timeshare owners launch petition against Pelican high-rise building

Several Pelican Resort timeshare owners have posted an on-line petition collecting signatures for a campaign intended to block the construction of a new high-rise marina at Pelican Resort.

The timeshare owners contend that the new structure is going to block visibility from “many C and D units whose owners were told, when buying, that their views would never be blocked.”

According to the petition organisers, the on-line petition has been posted to stop the construction as it is now planned and to compel the developers to adhere to their commitment to timeshare owners.

The petition, which has been posted at petitiononline.com/MARINA/petition.html , is addressed to the Island Government of St. Maarten and Board of Directors, Tenants Association, Pelican Resort Club.

It reads: “We, the undersigned, hereby petition the Board of Directors of the Tenants Association Pelican Resort Club to cease and desist the building of the new Marina Complex at Pelican Resort Club at Billy Folly Road, Simpson Bay, Sint Maarten, Netherlands Antilles, as it is currently planned.

“The design of this complex directly contradicts specific promises made to buyers of the C and D Buildings at Pelican, who were told that their views would never be compromised.

“On that basis thousands of timeshare owners bought in good faith, only to see their investments devalued in their view by the construction of a high-rise directly in front of their units.

“The undersigned also petition the Island Government of St. Maarten to intervene and stop this project or require its developers to fully respect and act upon the specific promises made to current timeshare owners by altering the building plans so new construction will not affect any views from any existing Pelican buildings.”

Tribewanted.com is a new concept in timeshare vacations that combines the traditional location-sharing arrangements with a tropical island. The catch is that all participants in the "tribe" are responsible for overseeing the eco-friendly development of a Pacific Island. Essentially, it's a real life variation on Survivor, with teamwork, construction and a tropical island, but without the contests and voting, though there will be a documentary crew on site taking weekly videos of the people and the project.

For $220 to $660, you can join for 1-3 years and visit the island, near Fiji, for 1-3 weeks (airfare is not included). During your visit, you will be filmed while you participate in the development of a sustainable village community. Broadcasts will be put on the Tribewanted website for other participants to view. The fact that members must work together in the building process and the development process - from selecting island locations to which buildings will have solar panels - is where the "tribe" concept comes from. There will be a local tribal chief overseeing the project.

500 people have signed up so far, and there is room for 5,000 to work on the project in total. It seems like a good choice for the adventurous, but not the ultimate in comfort yet, if you prefer to take more relaxing vacations.

At the end of the three year building period - which is when Tribewanted.com's lease on the island expires - the island will be returned to the local community. Depending on what kind of work is done by the "tribe," it could be Fiji's next hot resort, or it could just be some fun memories for those who participated.

British Airways, Europe's third-largest airline, said passenger traffic rose as expected in May as more holidaymakers travelled in business class, but warned the soccer World Cup could keep people at home in June.

BA said Monday it had increased capacity by 20 percent for flights in and out of Germany over the next month but said some business travel may drop off as fans stay at home during the four-week tournament which starts June 9.

"The flipside is as everyone sits at home watching England hopefully win they are going to be taking less business trips. There is the potential that it reduces the traffic," BA's head of investor relations George Stinnes told reporters.

BA earlier said its May passenger traffic rose by 6.9 percent year on year, driven by a rise in the number of leisure passengers taking business-class seats.

BA said its load factor, a measure of how well it is filling planes, was up 1.3 points versus last year to 74.5 percent in May.
Premium -- or first-and-business-class travel -- rose 13.9 percent in the month.

"Market conditions remain broadly unchanged as significant promotional activity is required to maintain seat factors," BA said in a statement.

June is usually the start of a slowdown in business travel in Europe as people head off on holidays.

Low-cost airlines easyJet and Ryanair are expected to benefit from the huge demand for travel in and out of Germany for the tournament.
Ryanair earlier reported a 22 percent rise in May passenger numbers and said its load factor was steady at 82 percent in the month.

Nearly one out of two airline tickets issued to travellers is currently in electronic form and paper tickets are on track to disappear completely by 2007, International Air Transport Association (IATA) said on Monday.
The association, which represents 265 airlines accounting for 94% of international air traffic, indicated that it would begin penalising members that failed to introduce electronic tickets by the end of next year.

The organisation said that nearly 50% of tickets were electronic now, but that it was aiming for 70% by the end of this year and 100% by the end of 2007.

"The real challenge is to accelerate the pace of implementation to meet the targets of 70% of penetration in 2006 and 100% by the end of 2007," said IATA chairperson Robert Milton.

IATA, which is holding its annual general meeting here, believes that phasing out paper tickets could save the industry more than $3bn (€2.3bn).

Electronic tickets costs $1 to issue, versus $10 for a paper ticket.

IATA said earlier that it expected the global airline industry to lose $3bn this year.

JetBlue Airways Corporation won a government auction Friday for wireless spectrum that could be used to provide in-flight telephone, Internet or entertainment services, the Associated Press reported.

The winning bid of $7.02 million was placed through New York-based JetBlue's entertainment subsidiary, LiveTV LLC, which provides DirecTV service on JetBlue flights.

New York-based JetBlue (NASDAQ: JBLU) is Tampa International's eighth largest carrier with a 5.57 percent market share in April.

The 1-megahertz frequency band sold by the Federal Communications Commission is nationwide and not limited to JetBlue aircraft, opening the possibility that LiveTV will offer the service to other airlines.

The auction started with nine bidders on May 10. Since last week, however, JetBlue and Space Data Corp. were the sole contenders for the 1-megahertz slot, bidding it up from just above $1 million

Space Data apparently did not plan to use the spectrum for aircraft. The Chandler, Ariz., company sends signal repeaters high into the air on unmanned balloons. The repeaters convey wireless data from oil company vehicles and pipelines to ground stations.

Airfone, which dropped out of the bidding early, will now have two years to shrink the bandwidth used by its in-flight phone service, which began in 1984. Airlines with Airfone service include Continental, Delta, United and US Airways.

The International Air Transport Association chastised four African countries Monday for their poor airline safety records, and warned it would withdraw membership to airlines who failed new safety audits.

Last year was the safest ever in terms of airline accidents, but not everywhere. Even as the International Air Transport Association, or IATA, boasted only 1 accident for every 1.3 million flights worldwide in 2005, it noted some regions of the world have worrying accident rates. Topping the list are countries in Africa, which accounts for only four percent of world air traffic, but 25 percent of all accidents last year.

For the first time ever, the airline trade association is requiring members to pass new audits, even as it took several African countries to task. Anthony Concil is spokesman for the IATA.

“There are some governments that stand out for their poor safety records. And we named four countries - Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Sierra Leone and Swaziland,” said Anthony Concil. “And a big part of that problem is the use of flags of convenience.”

In other words, these countries issue licenses to airlines based on extremely low safety requirements. Experts say that in some cases African officials accept bribes in exchange for easy certification of airline companies that could never pass safety checks in other countries. The International Herald Tribune reported that Swaziland was a case in point, with dozens of airlines receiving certification. The country announced it was trying to improve its certification process.

This is not the first time African countries have been censured for airline safety. In March, the European Union issued a blacklist banning 92 airlines from operating in the region for failing to meet international standards. Most of those airlines are based in the four African countries censured by the IATA Monday.

Last November, Gambia’s top airline regulator was arrested and lost her job on allegations of misusing public funds. But a number of international experts reportedly believe she was removed because of her efforts to improve airline safety in Africa.

Still, other African countries are trying to improve their records. The World Bank recently announced new grants to countries who agree to work on their airline safety, while cutting funds for those who do not. Four countries recently qualified for the new World Bank funds - Burkina Faso, Mali, Cameroon and Guinea.

Hotels.com auditor Ernst and Young has lost a laptop containing sensitive information on 243,000 customers.

Hotels.com LP is warning nearly a quarter of a million customers that they may have had their credit card numbers stolen, following the theft of an unencrypted laptop belonging to the travel Web site's auditor, Ernst and Young GIobal Ltd.

The laptop was stolen in late February after an Ernst and Young employee left it inside a locked vehicle, according to Hotels.com Senior Compliance Officer Cathy Bump. Ernst and Young notified Hotels.com of the theft on May 3, and after determining which customers were affected by the data breach, the two companies began sending out letters last week notifying approximately 243,000 customers of the theft.

The laptop contained names, addresses, and credit or debit card information, mostly related to Hotels.com transactions that occurred in 2004, although some customers who made purchases in 2003 and 2002 were also affected.

The computer was stolen somewhere in Texas, though Bump would not name the city where the theft occurred. Hotels.com, which is owned by Expedia Inc., is based in Dallas.

The combination of tough data breach notification laws and stolen laptops is keeping compliance officers such as Bump very busy these days. Last month, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs reported that a stolen laptop and external hard drive were to blame in the loss of sensitive information on 26.5 million U.S. veterans. And Fidelity Investments lost confidential information on nearly 200,000 Hewlett-Packard Co. employees earlier this year under similar circumstances.

There is no indication that the thief was trying to steal sensitive information, and there have been no indications to date that the information that was stolen has been misused, said Ernst and Young spokesman Ken Kerrigan.

Since the theft, however, Ernst and Young has encrypted data on all laptops within its U.S. and Canadian operations, Kerrigan said.

Ernst and Young is offering one year's free credit monitoring to all Hotels.com customers affected by the breach.

A new study from insurance provider AXA, revealed that in the past five years 1 million people claimed to have suffered from an accident or injury whilst on an activity holiday.

This year over 200,000 UK tourists could suffer from an accident or injury whilst on an activity holiday.

The study explored the rise in popularity of adventure and activity holidays and the associated risks. AXA warns that the number of holiday-related injuries could rise dramatically as more people choose to go on vacations which include some kind of sport or other physical activity. The company’s research showed that nearly one in three UK adults (13.6 million) are planning to take some type of activity holiday during the next 12 months. So what types of activity holidays are becoming popular with people?

The research reveals that men (33%) are more likely to go for this type of holiday than women (26%). Younger people are also more likely to be attracted to these sporty and action-packed breaks with 44% of 18 to 24 year olds planning to go on an activity holiday this year. Interestingly, one in five (19%) of the over 65s are also planning to go on sporty getaways.

When asked about injuries incurred whilst on activity holiday over the past five years, 124,605 people claimed that they were very seriously injured, 282,904 said that they were seriously injured and over well over half a million (605,141) were slightly injured. AXA has found that youngsters, in their pursuit of thrills and spills, are also the most likely to be injured whilst on holiday with nearly one in five (18%) 18 to 24 year olds who went on an activity holiday in the past five years sustaining some kind of injury.

Worryingly, AXA’s study revealed that a staggering two million (16%) of those planning to go on an adventure holiday in the next 12 months do not intend on taking out travel insurance and are leaving themselves at risk. It’s the thrill seeking men who are most likely not to take out insurance (20% compared to 12% of women).

Pat Brady, travel insurance manager, AXA Insurance said: “Many people are venturing away from the traditional package holiday by combining their vacation with new activities and sports. At AXA we are finding that many more people are choosing to build tailor-made holidays and plan adventure-orientated breaks but are not covering themselves against the added risks that come with them. It is our job to assess the associated risks – health and otherwise – in order to provide insurance cover that is completely adequate for the trip.

“I fear that people are leaving themselves vulnerable. Many people believe that nothing will happen to them and while this is the true in the majority of cases, for the sake of a few pounds to take out travel insurance, doesn’t it make sense to have peace of mind.”

Adventure and activity holiday tips from the Foreign Commonwealth Office:

1. Be sure to take out comprehensive travel insurance that covers you for dangerous sports and activities, medical and repatriation costs and any equipment you are taking. Think ahead about any unplanned holiday activities such as sports – it is best to covered for all situations.

2. Keep friends and family informed of your plans and travel itinerary, particularly if you are going to be uncontactable for a period of time. If you are taking part in an organised activity give them the contact details of the host company.

3. Consult your GP regarding any healthcare precautions and vaccinations you will require, at least six weeks prior to travel. Ensure you are in good health before participating in hazardous or strenuous activities. If you are on any special medication, ensure that you have a sufficient supply.

4. Make sure any specialist equipment for your trip can be carried by the airline.

5. Be sensible about alcohol consumption, particularly prior to physical activities. Accidents are more likely to occur if your inability and judgement are impaired. This can affect your insurance cover.

6. If you decide to undertake an activity with an organised group, you reduce the risk of things going wrong (although a risk still exists). Larger, well-operated companies are more likely to have stricter safety controls and contingencies for when problems occur. The greater risk lies in undertaking an activity alone or with inexperience people.

THE champion wheelchair racer Louise Sauvage, once the smiling face in Qantas promotions, has turned bitter about what she says is the airline's "discriminatory" approach to disabled passengers.

Qantas's confirmation that it limits the number of wheelchairs on each flight comes only days after Virgin Blue was forced to backtrack on its requirements for carers to accompany disabled passengers, when the row was revealed by the Herald.

Advocates for the disabled have voiced concern at what they say is Australian airlines' tough-nosed approached to disabled travellers compared with American and European airlines.

"I am very disappointed [Qantas] have taken this line," said Sauvage.

She told the Herald yesterday that before the Sydney Olympics in 2000 she was happy to promote the airline in return for sponsorship, including free flights.

"I don't want to bag them because of that, because I was very grateful. But now I am one of the people suffering from it … I think it is discriminatory."

Sauvage said she had recently become aware of tighter rules on the disabled and longer waits before disembarking, while their wheelchairs were unloaded and taken to the gate.

She and a fellow wheelchair athlete, Paul Nunnari, insist that Qantas has told several disabled athletes it is restricting the number of wheelchair users to two on domestic flights - a recent development that poses logistical problems for sports teams.

Qantas said yesterday the restriction applied only to smaller aircraft such as Boeing 737s because of potential stowage safety hazards during the flight. The airline also said it had reduced the number of staff available to help disabled passengers outside peak hours at Sydney Airport.

Qantas's general manager of associated businesses, Grant Fenn, said yesterday: "We do everything possible to provide travel opportunities to suit customers travelling with mobility aids."

But Sauvage and Nunnari said the decline in services for wheelchair users had become more marked recently.

Nunnari, who led the campaign against Virgin Blue's policy changes last week, said he was angry to hear from six other disabled athletes at the weekend that Qantas had limited wheelchair numbers on their flights to two.

No mention had been made of the restriction being limited to smaller aircraft, Nunnari said.

Nunnari said the precedent set by a well-regarded airline like Qantas was a particular worry for disabled people.

He said the message to them was: "We don't have to care about you. You guys are last on the list."

"This is not the spirit of Australia, this is the spirt of discrimination," Nunnari said.

THE CRUISE industry has sought to reassure the trade after viral outbreaks on two ships. Van Gogh, operated by Travelscope, was quarantined in Harwich by the UK Marine and Coastguard Agency on Sunday after 70 passengers and 16 crew became infected.

The news came as 46 passengers on Fred Olsen Cruise Line’s Black Watch fell ill on a Celtic Connections cruise that ended on Saturday in Greenock. Both ships have since been disinfected and cleared to continue operations.

Travelscope, which started developing a trade distribution network just nine months ago, was forced to cancel a six-day Norwegian cruise on Van Gogh.

It offered refunds to all 500 passengers, along with £30 compensation plus 25% off a future cruise on Van Gogh.

Head of agency sales Darren Parris said the weekend’s news reports were damaging but said he was not aware of any cancellations and the ship will sail as planned to Norway tomorrow.

“We handled it professionally and have gone to great lengths to put passengers’ health and safety first,” he said.

Passenger Shipping Association director Bill Gibbons said incidents were rare but because such viruses are prevalent among the population it is something all cruiselines must constantly deal with.

“Cruise ships have to ensure the spread of the virus is kept to the absolute minimum. We are looking to agree common industry protocols so you get the same approach from every cruiseline,” he said.

P&O Cruises managing director David Dingle said any ships operating out of, or calling at, UK ports are subject to strict safety regulations.

Travelscope will hold an open day on June 9 in Harwich when agents can inspect its two ships and is about to launch online booking for the trade.

WAYNE Rooney’s broken meta- tarsal might be crucial to England’s chances in the World Cup – but it could also make or break this summer’s sales figures.

With both Thomson and First Choice shops anticipating a quiet June and preparing to allow agency staff to enjoy England games at work, the trade is grappling with divided loyalties over the fitness of England’s superstar striker and the success of the team.

A scan on Wednesday will determine whether the Manchester United wonderkid will be able to travel to Germany with Sven Goran Eriksson’s squad ahead of England’s first game at 2pm on Saturday June 10, and possibly how long England remain in the competition.

“I’d like to see Rooney on the pitch but it would be better for business if he wasn’t,” said Hays Travel retail general manager Jane Schumm.

Save ‘n’ Sail Cruise Village managing director Philip Nuttall said: “Business was very quiet during the last World Cup, but it went mad as soon as England were knocked out.”

Advantage director John McEwan said England’s performance will affect sales. “I’m expecting business to slow down with the World Cup starting next week. From a business perspective, we will see an upturn in booking when England go out of the tournament,” he said.

However, David Robinson, group director ground product and marketing at Gold Medal, said England’s glory should be put first.

“We want to see our national team do well,” he said despite blaming a slowing down of growth in sales for June on the World Cup.

Thomson retail and commercial director Derek Jones said passenger numbers were ahead of expectations for June although he would not reveal figures. He said Thomson was expecting the month to be quiet.

Firms including Gold Medal, Mundi Color, Travel 2/4 and Thomson are offering staff special incentives to make bookings during the tournament in the hope of driving sales. However, Thomson agents will be able to get behind the squad on England match days when they will be allowed to come to work wearing the team’s strip, paint their faces and bring in radios to allow them to follow the game.

First Choice Holiday Hypermarkets will screen England games live on in-store plasma screens and agents will also be allowed to listen to the radio to follow the matches.

Thomas Cook said it has still to decide its policy for staff during games but Gold Medal call-centre staff will be allowed to organise their shifts around England matches. Those at work will be allowed to watch the games in the canteen.

Robinson said: “When the games are on it is not going to be busy so you might as well let staff enjoy it with the rest of the country.”

The Timeshare Directive is one of the eight directives, which are encompassed by the review of the consumer acquis, which is currently being undertaken by the Commission. Today, a wide public consultation on the Timeshare Directive has been launched by the Commission in order to explore a series of timeshare-related regulatory problems - identified in close cooperation with key industry and consumer groups.

Timeshare, as defined within the Timeshare Directive, is the right to spend a set period of time (e.g. one week) in a holiday property each year for three years or longer. The Timeshare Directive protects consumers by requiring that: traders provide certain pre-contractual information to prospective purchasers; the contract contains certain a required minimum of information to be provided to purchasers; the prospectus and the contract are in a language that the consumer is familiar with; purchasers are given a cooling-off period during which they may withdraw from the contract; deposits of money are banned during the cooling-off period. However, some operators have introduced new timeshare-like products which take advantage of regulatory loopholes, leading to a number of complaints by consumers.

The purpose of this paper is to launch a wide public consultation on the scope and nature of the problem and elicit stakeholders’ views as to possible solutions. “Consumers should have every confidence that they will not be taken for a ride if they opt for a timeshare formula or similar products” said Health and Consumer Protection Commissioner, Markos Kyprianou. “I want to make sure that unscrupulous traders do not take advantage of potential clients – many of whom sign up to these products after falling in love with a holiday resort.”

Better rights for British holidaymakers who return home to find they've bought faulty goods elsewhere in Europe have taken a step forward.

The European Small Claims Procedure (ESCP) is set to streamline the process for taking legal action if you've bought shoddy goods from a shop on the Continent, whether in person or online.

Currently, you can only make a legal claim under the system of the country where you bought the goods. This can be slow and expensive and means getting a lawyer involved.

Which? evidence
Which? submitted evidence to the government on the plans. This showed that consumers were struggling with a system which required them to get two lawyers and deal with a court abroad. We believed many were giving up their claims.

Since European Justice Ministers met recently, the text of the plans has been agreed, and includes the evidence from Which?.

Which? Principal Campaigns Lawyer Ingrid Gubbay said: 'Which? has been campaigning for years to make it easier for consumers to get cross-boarder redress when they have problems with a timeshare, holiday or goods brought abroad. We're delighted that the evidence Which? submitted has been included in the final plans.'

Video conferencing
The new system will cover claims valued at less than 2,000 euros. Claim and defence forms will be the same in all the European languages and courts will be encouraged to decide claims on paper where possible, using phone or video conferencing if oral hearings are felt necessary.

Parties won't need to be legally represented if they don't want to be, and the process for enforcing judgements in other EU states will become easier.

The proposals will now go to the European Parliament and are expected to be endorsed, but there's no date yet for when they might come into force.

In March, the Court of Appeal ruled that shoppers who bought items abroad on their credit card were entitled to the same level of protection from their card provider as those who bought items in the UK. This means that if you spend more than GBP 100 on your credit card on an item abroad, if something goes wrong - for example the item was faulty - you can claim from your credit card company rather than the shop.

GALVESTON — The City Council will consider challenges to two condominium developments at a meeting this month.

Bluegreen Vacations Unlimited is proposing a timeshare project in the 9500 block of Seawall Boulevard, and Donald L. Jordan is proposing a 219-unit condominium on roughly 28 acres along Eckert Drive.

Lloyd and Wanda Rinderer outline their objections to the timeshare development in a letter to the city’s department of planning and community development.

“The opposition centers on the fact of the timeshare two-key layout,” the Rinderers write. “If you have ever seen the development of this type of complex in the Florida area, you would note the immediate devaluation of any surrounding property. …”

They also complain of a likely increase in traffic and possible law enforcement issues.

In his appeal of the Jordan project, Steven C. Salch notes that the proposed building would be the third tallest on the island.

“We believe this action of the planning commission will diminish the value of our property, destroy the lifestyle and ambience of the area, impede and endanger the avian life that uses, during migrations, the Laffite’s Cove Nature Preserve just to the north of the proposed high-rise structure and have other adverse effects upon the surrounding area, its infrastructure and environment, Eckert’s Bayou, Galveston County and the city of Galveston,” Salch writes.

The building would be up to 220 feet and as many as 16 stories tall and would be surrounded by a pool, a garden pavilion, tennis courts and an elevated boardwalk.

“For almost 20 years, we have owned a second home on the West End of Galveston Island and enjoyed the openness of the area because it was devoid of the office and residential towers cluttering Houston and many other beachfront communities,” Salch writes in his appeal.

He points out that the homes in the nearby Laffite’s Cove and Pirate’s Beach and Cove communities range in price from the mid-$300,000s to more than $1 million.

“They are not ‘cookie-cutter’ tract homes any more than the historic homes on the East End of the island are ‘cookie-cutter’ homes,” he writes. “For over 20 years, these residential areas have been regarded as the premier communities on the West End.”

If the timeshare project were approved, Maravilla, a nearby condo complex, where the Rinderers live, would be flanked by taller structures. The 11-story Ocean Grove Condominiums building is already under construction to the east. The eight-story building proposed by Bluegreen Vacations would sit directly to the west.

“The size/height of these complexes would dwarf the Maravilla complex and detrimentally influence our aesthetically pleasing complex,” the Rinderers write. “We realize that blocking of views, while a concern of our complex, is not an issue for planning commission/city council consideration, but we should all value the Seawall and the proper location, size and architecture of any proposed structures.”

The 131-foot structure would contain 328 condominiums.

“We have always had a problem with the disregard for height ordinance application along the Seawall, but most importantly adjacent to the two airport runway approaches on the Seawall,” the Rinderers write. “Again, if you have not seen the deplorable visual situation of any coastal community that does not have a height ordinance, the placement of this type of structure in this particular area will show you the future dismal outcome.”

In his challenge of its action on the Jordan project, Salch contends that the planning commission never would have approved such a project in the center of town.

“The two-step process that produced this decision by the planning commission would never have gotten off the ground if the proposal were to build such a structure on the site of Austin school, Kempner Park and Kermit Courville Stadium, the old Gerlands site at 45th and Avenue S, or the Avenue S and 53rd Street police substation,” he wrote.

“The same considerations that would preclude such a structure on the middle of the East End of the island should likewise preclude the approval of such a structure in the middle of the West End of the island between established single-family communities.”

In recommending approval of the timeshare project, the planning commission staff noted that the city’s comprehensive plan calls for enhancing the island’s traditional strengths in tourism.

“Timeshare development supports this goal by contributing to the variety of accommodation options available to tourists and full- and part-time residents,” the staff’s report says.

In its report on the Jordan project, the staff notes that the West End land use policy committee had called for development that preserved natural habitat and wetlands. “Provided adequate infrastructure is provided and the development is designed to be sensitive to the fragile beach/bay environment, the proposed development appears to conform to the overall goals of the plan as well as the recommendations of the west end land use policy committee,” the report says.

The council will hear both appeals at its meeting June 15.

WHAT: Galveston City Council meeting.

WHEN: 5:30 p.m. June 15.

WHERE: City Hall, 823 25th St., Galveston.