Vacations Are a Must for New Year’s Bucket ListARDA Outlines Lasting Benefits of Timeshare Vacations
Washington, DC (PRWEB) January 10, 2014 -- Does one of your top ten moments from 2013 include a memory from vacation—or are you among the many that left vacation days on the table this year? According to an annual study by Expedia®, Americans earn among the fewest vacation days (14) in the world each year, and also leave among the most vacation days unused (4) – despite research that shows the benefits of vacationing. The American Resort Development Association (ARDA) challenges Americans to re-think vacation as a necessity instead of a luxury, and to resolve to take one in the New Year.
Recent surveys show depressing statistics on American vacations. “We vacation for less time each year, feel guilty about it when we do get away, and often bring technology with us to stay in touch with those we’ve left behind,” said Howard Nusbaum, president and CEO of the American Resort Development Association (ARDA). “Yet there is proof that taking time away to recharge your batteries can make you a better employee, a better spouse, and an all-around happier person.”
Another Expedia® survey found that 79 percent of people who vacation at least three times a year have happy marriages, and 47 percent of people who went away last year like their job. The timeshare industry says look no further than its owners – eight million U.S. households that own a timeshare point to regular vacations as a top reason for owning, in addition to more spacious accommodations.
Owners also say that the honeymoon period following a timeshare vacation lasts longer because the stay was more relaxing, as more space makes for a more relaxing vacation for everyone. No more “lights out” at the kid’s early bedtime, no more sharing pizza on a hotel room bed, and no more “group think” around mealtime.
Perhaps that’s why timeshare occupancy rates (76%) have outpaced traditional hotel stays (56.6%) for the past several years—with timeshare owners nearly twice as likely as non-owners to have vacationed in the past 12 months. *
“We hear from our owners every day about how their lives have changed because of their timeshare ownership,” said Nusbaum. “The combination of the spacious accommodations, luxurious resorts, and the discipline to vacation at least once a year makes for a better way to vacation,” he concluded.
The timeshare industry has long since advocated for regular vacations, and the pre-paid nature of the product demonstrates their commitment to making vacation a priority. The American Resort Development Association (ARDA) recently released the “Timeshare Effect”, an infographic that highlights the link between timeshare vacations and their effect on owners. From lifestyle to finances to family memories, a timeshare vacation creates a lifetime of benefits.
Perhaps it’s time you add a timeshare vacation to your New Year’s bucket list. For information on why timeshare may be a better vacation for you, visit http://www.VacationBetter.org.
*Source: ARDA International Foundation World Wide Shared Vacation Ownership Report: 2012 Edition, conducted by Oxford Economics and The Research Intelligence Group; Smith Travel Research January 2013.
The American Resort Development Association (ARDA) is the Washington D.C.-based professional association representing the vacation ownership and resort development industries. Established in 1969, ARDA today has almost 1,000 members ranging from privately held firms to publicly traded companies and international corporations with expertise in shared ownership interests in leisure real estate. The membership also includes timeshare owner associations (HOAs), resort management companies, and owners through the ARDA Resort Owners Coalition (ARDA-ROC). For more information, visit http://www.arda.org or ARDA’s consumer website at http://www.VacationBetter.org.
Alexa Antonuk, ARDA, http://www.vacationbetter.org, +1 (202) 207-1141, [email protected]
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