The perception of timeshare is ever changing and a fascinating case study for anyone interested in industries undergoing constant transformation. In the first of a two-part series with industry experts in the UK and the US, RCIVentures.com asked Sue McNicol, head of operations for the Resort Development Organisation (RDO), for her interpretation of Timeshare 2010.

Sue McNicol

Whenever I am asked what I do for a living, there's often an embarrassed silence as people try to digest the fact that they cannot respond with a ' that's fantastic!’ followed by ‘are there any job vacancies? '.

However, some do go on to say that they have taken a timeshare holiday themselves or have a friend or neighbour who owns timeshare and have only positive experiences to relate, the quality of accommodation generally being top-class and the resorts ones that they would most certainly go back to.

So why is it that we can't stand at the top of a building and shout out that we work for the timeshare industry and are proud of it?

For many people I know, it's the reputation that timeshare gained in the pressure selling days of the 1980s and 1990s that lingers in their minds and it does not occur to them that things may have changed.

They believe that smooth talking salesmen ambush holidaymakers and persuade them to sign contracts that are binding, there being no option for people to change their minds! They are not aware that legislation was adopted to protect consumers at the end of the 1990s, nor are they aware that there is a pan European industry trade body, RDO, that enforces its own code of conduct.

And of course the media has its part to play, many ' old-time ' journalists who covered timeshare 20 or 30 years ago not being willing to accept that the industry has changed and will only write negative articles - bad news sells newspapers is the reality. It is therefore not surprising that people are left with the impression that timeshare is something to be avoided.

It is often the younger journalists - and I count anybody under 45 as young! - who are more open to listening to what the industry has to say and are willing to visit resorts to see for themselves what there is on offer.

I took a couple of journalists to Scotland a year or two ago and when someone apologised for the way in which the industry conducted itself in the past, the journalists told me they didn't want to know, it wasn't something they were interested in covering, their objective being to produce an article which gave their readers ideas about destinations and the variety of holiday types available to them. Good for them!

So is it the younger generation that is more open to the idea of timeshare? Perhaps, and if this is the case, this is age bracket that we should be targetting to generating new buyers. RDO (Resort Development Organisation) is working on proposals with the consumer body, TATOC (The Timeshare Association) to do just this and at the same time, are looking at ways to promote the image of timeshare and raise awareness of the two organisations.

It's incredibly hard to shake off a bad reputation (think double glazing or used car salesmen) but at the same time, easy to gain one, as we know from the BP disaster. Our industry is still working tirelessly to improve its image, but it is held back by the fraudulent practices of companies outside the industry that target owners, such bogus resale companies, holiday clubs and class action companies.

These have attracted a great deal of media attention, all too often with titles along the lines of ‘another timeshare con’ and this is inspite of a campaign that RDO has been conducting for the past 8 years or so to educate the media about the difference between timeshare and other non-timeshare products. There are however improvements, albeit at a snail’s pace, but it has been frustrating to be tarnished with the same brush as these bogus schemes.

It’s a real shame that although timeshare owners themselves love their resorts (a recent RDO survey indicated that a whopping 87% of European owners are happy with what they’ve bought) this is not reflected in the media coverage we get, although there have been one or two wonderful articles of late, both of which came as a result of PR work carried out by the exchange companies.

I’m aware that there will be a similar article from a US perspective and will be interested to see what Brooke Doucha has to say about how Americans view timeshare. When on holiday at Orange Lake Resorts in Orlando recently, I was pleased to be able to chat with so many people not only at the resort but also elsewhere such as the car hire shuttle bus (yes!) who were openly proud of their timeshare. Let’s hope that in future years, we will see this very same enthusiastic attitude in Europe.

What do you think? Post your comments in the box below.

Next week - Brooke Doucha, senior manager of corporate communications for Holiday Inn Club Vacations based at Orange Lake Resorts in Florida, shares her thoughts on Timeshare 2010.