By Barbara Shea
Posted January 9, 2001 in The Orlando Sentinel
Vacation ownership, as timesharing is now usually called, has come a long way from the days when fast-talking speculators
reeled in tourists like flounder on tropical shores. Then, they were convincing vacationers to buy into a dream
that all too often never attracted enough capital to get off the ground.
Sales forces these days are more likely to work for solid chains such as Disney or Hilton, whose approach is considerably
more restrained. And as timesharing shed its smarmy image and added the flexibility demanded by today's vacationers,
it has become the fastest growing segment of global travel and tourism.
The latest innovation in the field expands one of its most popular aspects: swap value.
Because timeshares are difficult if not impossible to resell at any price, let alone for a profit, they can't be
considered real-estate investments (although now larger units at some resorts can be divided by locking interior
doors, creating an income-producing apartment the "owner" can rent out while enjoying the other half).
But a major appeal of all timeshares has long been the fact your "home week" at one resort can be exchanged
for an equal interval at another.