Sustainable practices at Orange County

Courtesy: Papaya Films – India
We are all made of this earth. And our souls are connected to the spirit of this land, constantly reminding us that we are essentially one. Today, this essence of human experience is lost in our race to make ends meet. Pause… Look around… Listen… Let these mystical tales of the land and its people inspire us to be better human beings and responsible caretakers of the earth. Evolve. Back.

Orange County Resorts (now Evolve Back) is a member
of the All India Resort Development Association.
http://www.airda.org

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Some interesting angles to shooting videos on a holiday

This is an interview with “mobile” film maker from Mumbai, Shiva Prasad – in our Message of the Month section.

How can lay people on a vacation take better pictures using their mobile phones?

People love to capture their travel and adventure photos and look forward to preserving them as fond memories for the rest of their lives. That’s where the mobile phone comes in to capture beautiful imagery and footage on your vacation.

Many of the recently launched mobile phones have interesting creative presets such as slow motion videos, time-lapse (passage of time) giving you the ability to film in variable frame rates like 30 and 60 frames – and going right up to 970 frames on some phones. The latest Samsung Galaxy S 20 allows you to capture footage in true cinematic 24 frames in 8k resolution – the only mobile phone which offers this feature till date.

More on our interview with Shiva Prasad at this link >
Message of the Month Interview / May 2020

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Remembering Anil Rathor

On the 30th of June, AIRDA lost one of its most inspired guiding lights. B.S. Rathor (fondly known as Anil) was a passionate campaigner for all that AIRDA stood for and meant, in India’s world of timeshare and vacation ownership.

For the team at AIRDA, he was our guide, mentor, sounding board, and yes, a friend you could shoot the breeze with – discussing ideas, content direction and the sensible way forward.

Anil was a key member of the think tank that laid the cornerstone for AIRDA, the organization. He also helped put in place the building blocks of a structure that was increasingly strong from within. Anil’s perspective here was visionary and his thinking was far-reaching. He also contributed a great deal to the defining aspects of what AIRDA set out to do in the industry and how it gained ground in terms of endeavor and achievement.

For the month of July, in our Message for the Month, we feature tributes and memories shared by the people Anil spent tireless days and countless hours with, to give AIRDA direction, purpose and a value proposition that was shared by resort members, stakeholders and other associates that joined its fold.

B. S. Rathor
Till recently, he was Advisor & Member on AIRDA’s Executive Committee

More on this story at the link below >
Message of the Month – July 2019

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Snapshots on Timeshare – Gerhard and Beate Schreiber from Germany

I must say that we had a really nice time – fortunately we had good friends in India who gifted us their weeks at a few timeshare resorts and helped organize a nice round-trip. This was a holiday that will be permanently etched in our minds. Overall, we found the standard of service to be good, and the food was excellent. We come from a predominantly wine growing area, and by our measure some of your Indian wines are pretty good.

Based on our experience in terms of staying at a timeshare resort, we found very little difference between a hotel in India and a timeshare resort – in terms of properties, quality of service, food and the little details that go into making it a pleasant, comfortable experience.

More on this story at the link below >
Snapshots on Timeshare

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“Talking about Timeshare” – Ashok Sankethi

As someone who has handled research projects for AIRDA, I can visualize a crystal ball on timeshare. So in the future we could see  smaller resorts moving out as a result of getting absorbed by the bigger players. I also think we will see new entrants, new products and changing service experiences.

There could be a consolidation of the organized sector in the timeshare industry, but the pie will expand, grow and diversify in my opinion.

And If we’re wondering about growth, I think the key indicator here would be penetration of the timeshare industry. I’m referring to the proportion of the population using timeshare plans.

We may not be growing fast enough simply because of two concern areas. People these days are ready to spend and indulge here-and-now – which means a one-time holiday and not a timeshare vacation. (Their horizon is short term.) Next, let’s look at macroeconomic indicators – I see a dull picture here, which often makes consumers postpone bigger ticket spends. (Do I really need to make a financial commitment on a holiday plan? Do I need to make it this year, or now?)

Ashok R Sankethi is an MR veteran who set up Kaybase in 2005. He has over 25 years of experience in the industry, and works on projects that call for higher levels of research and analytics. He is on the teaching faculty at leading business schools, and sits on the doctoral committees of several Ph. D scholars. Along with his colleague Poornima Bhaskaran, Ashok has published a book called Kay’s Book of MR – which is the first book of case studies from an industry perspective. This book is now being used by faculty at over 15 business schools in the country.

More on this in our Q&A feature story >
Q&A – November 2017

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#timeshareindustryupdates from AIRDA

https://t.co/CWHLA83BKL

— Airda India (@airda_india) August 14, 2017

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On responsible tourism and eco-friendly practices

I am so pleased these days when I hear of activities centered around responsible tourism and eco-friendly practices. What was for years seen as just “bringing in the numbers” is now bringing with it the responsibility of restoring the natural ecological balance of tourist locations. So while you welcome tourists with open arms, you also need to embrace eco-friendly measures down the value chain.

After all these years, having seen the world go round in this industry, it’s reassuring to find resorts seeking linkages with native environments – working towards nurturing and conserving local eco-systems.

While the hospitality industry needs to be the prime mover here, we also need to raise awareness among vacation seekers. They need to be on the same page in a participatory kind of way. (I don’t own run or run the resort, but I can be responsible for my actions during my stay.)

B. S. Rathor
Advisor & Member – Executive Committee

More on this story at the link below >
Message of the Month on the AIRDA website – August 2017

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Widening the experience for timeshare customers

Over the years, timeshare resort managers and owners have worked at improving the product in all the ways they can. Basically to zero in on facilities and services that increase comfort levels, and widen the experience for customers and their families.

The experience mix as we like to call it, is the result of planned measures to make timeshare a preferred vacation format. A format that offers long term benefits and a dynamic, ever-changing skyline of travel hubs within AIRDA and our extended network.

Today, timeshare customers also get to experience vacation stays across the world through dedicated exchange portals in this space. And I’m happy to state that two of the best-known exchange portals are members of AIRDA, with some very exciting plans and offerings for timeshare customers in India.

B. S. Rathor
Advisor & Member – Executive Committee

More on this story at the link below >
Message of the Month on the AIRDA website – July 2017

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Tourism and its contribution to the Economy – B.S. Rathor

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News update from the Deccan Chronicle

The link above takes you to a very interesting news update from the Deccan Chronicle on the Devlok project. Here’s an excerpt from an interview on the AIRDA website with Mr Ajay Kumar, Chairman and Managing Director of Vaishnovi Versatile Ventures Private Limited.

The Devlok project could easily be India’s most unique religious theme park in terms of scale, composition and depth of experience – encompassing the visitor’s need for devotion, leisure, business tourism, recreation, entertainment and health care.

This could soon be a popular annual destination for the spiritually inclined. We are confident that our project will attract a wide cross section of tourists – devotees, school and college students, large families, residential communities, corporate houses and NRIs.

 

 

 

 

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