Fractional Ownership News

Washington DC hosts the ARDA convention this week

Date: 06/11/2009
Article source: www.examiner.com

Being held this week in Washington DC is the annual ARDA fall conference, where anybody who is somebody in the resort industry comes out to network.

You may be wondering, who is this ARDA and furthermore why should I care?

ARDA is the American Resort Development Association and as the name implies it is a trade association for the resort and vacation ownership industry.

This Washington DC based company was established in 1969, so it is fair to say that they have been around long enough to understand the needs of the industry and they are probably not going anywhere. Congratulations to ARDA as they celebrate their 40th anniversary!

Timeshare resorts, vacation ownership and fractional ownership, sometimes called leisure real estate, is a billion dollar industry and with more then 50% of these owners being baby boomers, it’s fair to say the industry is also very secure.

Like most trade associations, ARDA does offer a wide variety of benefits to their members and business partners, such as networking opportunities and continuing education for professionals.

More importantly to the consumer, they also play a role in consumer advocacy through the Resort Owners Coalition (ARDA-ROC).

ROC is active in governmental affairs as they monitor and lobby on regulatory issues that will enhance the resort and timeshare industry for you.

ARDA is also a great place to turn for consumer education. On their website you can find information on everything from understanding vacation ownership and ethics to timeshare contests.

Another useful tool on their website is the HOA Outreach tab which offers FAQ’s and a “tool box” for Homeowners associations.

There is a massive amount of information on the web about vacation ownership and most related sites are probably reputable with valuable information… but if in doubt, just stop by the ARDA web site.