It’s believed the timeshare concept was born in the 1960s at a ski resort in the French Alps. Fast forward to the present day and the timeshare segment of the hospitality industry is credited with leading the economic recovery — from the pandemic to Hurricane Iniki.
The Conversation talked to Jason Gamel, the president and CEO of the American Resort Development Association, about helping the local economy recover from the recent wildfires. He vacationed on Maui with his family this summer.
It's been more than a week since local businesses welcomed tourists back to West Maui. Those in the hospitality industry expect the timeshare sector to lead any recovery in visitor arrivals.
"Most hotel occupancies right now are low, October will be a little bit low, however, come November and December, the expectation is that the occupancy for the timeshare resorts will be up to almost to their historic levels, which is the 80 to 90 percents, in some cases, the high 90s. Those resorts will be ready to welcome back that type of owner-flow in just a short month or so," he said.
Gamel said there are more than 2,000 employees on Maui whose jobs are tied directly to timeshares.
"We're already hearing stories of the families returning and some of the first questions they're asking is: How can we help? What can we do?"
This interview aired on The Conversation on Oct. 16, 2023. The Conversation airs weekdays at 11 a.m. on HPR-1.
