What makes a good idea great? Some are sparked by necessity, others take off when the time is right, and the best ideas in the holiday industry are based on meeting – preferably exceeding – the needs of the consumer.
Not so long ago we all lived and breathed “a place in the sun.” We were busy buying villas in Vilamoura, doing up farmhouses in the Dordogne, transforming derelict barns in scenic locations into rustic-chic holiday homes. But grey economic clouds started hovering overhead and turned a threatening shade of charcoal. Suddenly, the idea of pouring money into “grand designs” or saddling oneself with a second home mortgage for a place likely to lie empty (pelted by French winter rain) felt a bit burdensome.
Fast-forward to 2010. As the sun breaks through those clouds, property bargains abound and a taste of the good life beckons in emerging, untapped destinations. And in Europe, an American holiday concept over 30 years old is coming of age: timeshare and its younger relative fractional ownership - both immensely popular in the US and ingrained in the American lifestyle - are enjoying a renaissance this side of the pond.
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