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There’s something about an island that stirs the imagination. Close your
eyes and you might picture a hammock on a beach, palm trees sway-
ing in the breeze and your toes digging into the cool wetness of the
sand. Cut off from the rest of the world, you can relax and unwind.
While isolation makes islands ideal vacation spots, it creates unique
challenges for resorts located on them. From the Caribbean to Hawaii
and the South Pacific to Asia, island resorts often must cope with
transportation, human resources, and energy and regulatory issues that
stem from the fact that they aren’t physically connected to a mainland.
MARKETING
RESORTDEVELOPER.COM
vacation industry review
JULY – SEPTEMBER 2015
26
Thriving While
Geographically
Challenged
By Judy Kenninger
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In-Demand Destinations
But such challenges aren’t due to lack of demand.
In its most recent U.S. member study, Interval International found that 42
percent of its members said that if they made another purchase, they’d prefer
an island resort. Specifically, more than a quarter would prefer a Caribbean
location.
That doesn’t surprise Hugh Riley, secretary general and CEO of the
Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO), whose member countries welcomed
more than 26 million stay-over and 24 million cruise visitors in 2014. “They
come for exotic food, romance, relaxation, beautiful beaches, family events,
sports, adventure, entertainment, culture, or simply to experience a lifestyle that
is French, English, Dutch, Spanish, laid-back, or different from what they’d find
at home,” he says.
The World Travel & Tourism Council pegged leisure tourism spending in the
region at US$35.68 billion in 2014, up from US$31.89 billion in 2010.
Hawaii, another popular island destination, attracted more than 8 million
visitors in 2013, and they spent US$14.52 billion, according to the state’s
Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism. The opportunity to
exchange to Hawaii has long been a big part of the timeshare sales proposition,
and the Interval International Travel Demand Index shows higher than average
demand for vacations in Hawaii for all but three weeks of the year.