Interval International celebrates 30 years of industry innovation

Since it was founded in 1976 as "The Quality Vacation Exchange Network," the company has grown significantly. Interval had 60 member resorts and 10,000 consumer members after its first year in business. Today, it has a global network of more than 2,000 resorts in over 75 countries and a member base that is nearly 1.8 million families strong.

David Clifton, Interval International's managing director, Europe, Middle East, Africa and Asia, said: "We have played an important role in the success of the vacation ownership industry - one of the fastest-growing segments in hospitality."

According to Clifton, the Middle East is just developing as a timeshare market, and he predicted a surge of interest on behalf of both resort developers and the consumer.

"The consumer holiday profile in the region is focused on family travel and loyalty to key destinations; hence, vacation ownership is a perfect match, offering guaranteed accommodation at the selected resort plus opportunities to exchange and travel the world," he said.

"However, as far as the growth of vacation ownership resorts in the Middle East region, we are in the very early stages but the region is already our fastest-growing area. Dubai is one of the most dynamic tourist destinations around the globe."

Clifton pointed out that vacation ownership resorts would add a new element to the tourism mix in the region, offering the prospect of developing long-term loyalty and longer average length of stay among visitors as well as an opportunity for Interval International members to experience the Arabian Gulf and wider Middle East.

Throughout its history, Interval has been dedicated to establishing partnership relationships with its developers. Another of its hallmarks is an insistence on quality standards in its international resort network and in service delivery to its members.

The company also has been a leader in fostering much of the legislation that governs the industry today, owing to Interval's strong belief that constructive consumer protection would ensure future growth.

With its focus on the future, Interval is developing business in emerging markets throughout the world, along with traditional regions that are experiencing renewed vitality. New product segments also offer opportunities as vacation ownership grows in new directions.