Leading the initiative will be Raju Shahani, formerly country director for RCI India, who has been named president and general manager of the new division. My long-term goals are to ensure a healthy industry that is recognized as a valuable contribution to the tourism portfolio in every market in my region, and more importantly, to make the vacation ownership product a sought good rather than a sold good, said Shahani. Additionally, we will ensure that in each of these markets, we assist and develop new products such as the RCI Holiday Network, RCI Points, and luxury products as well as other Cendant brands that have the potential to grow in this area.
Shahani and his team plan to implement the same strategy that has proved to be successful in India, focusing on depicting timeshare as a high-quality product and RCI as the leader in the industry through public relations, improving customer service, forging partnerships with upper-tier brands, and driving legislation in each market to boost consumer confidence.
These are emerging markets with a small critical mass of resorts and members, added Ken May. They have the potential to grow considerably in the years to come and we anticipate that RCI Expansion Markets will lead the charge.
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.