The Australian based company Accor Premiere Vacation Club (APVC) is on the brink of rapid Membership growth following the launch its new Asian Club from April 5th 2007. It will also open its first…
The Australian based company Accor Premiere Vacation Club (APVC) is on the brink of rapid Membership growth following the launch its new Asian Club from April 5th 2007. It will also open its first APVC Sales Office, and its first Asian property for Members – as part of the new Novotel Nusa Dua Resort in Bali.
New Memberships will be sold in Asia for the first time, from April 5 – initially to Indonesians, and tourists holidaying in Bali.
“As Australia and New Zealand combine for a population of less than 25 million, our growth strategy is focused on the nearby Asian markets,” said Marty Kandel, CEO of APVC and here, he gives an insight into typical Members’ profiles, the cost of Membership, and how the global growth will enhance the benefits of Australian and New Zealand Memberships.
“After the opening of our first Asian Club apartments in Bali, we anticipate entering the market in Thailand, Indonesia, French Polynesia, Singapore, and India in the short to mid-term, followed by China sometime after the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.”
“It is our intention to target both the local and ex-pat markets in all Sales Centre locations, initially Bali and Jakarta, and this is something that has rarely been tried by other industry players. We believe APVC will be well placed to succeed in emerging markets such as India and China. Indonesia alone boasts thirty six Accor Hotels, with eight more under development by 2008. Indeed Members will be able to access Accor managed properties across the Asia Pacific Region,” Kandel added.
“With our global expansion, this means an Australian APVC member, customarily who’s profile indicates they are married with children, with a good income, can now enjoy holidays in 4-4.5 star accommodation at some of the worlds most sought after destinations. With an average sales price of $18,000 (AUD), APVC provides accommodation at any of its 17 Club owned properties throughout Australia and New Zealand, and access to 33 Accor hotels and resorts throughout the Asia Pacific region, plus access to 2,000 additional locations worldwide through Interval International, a third party exchange company.”
“Statistics show that APVC’s Members tend to come from two distinct categories. Married or partnered couples outweigh across the board, but at one end of the spectrum are more mature buyers, average age of mid-50’s, empty nesters, with more than three weeks of leisure time per year. This group predominately purchases higher priced memberships, such as Platinum and above, which enables the Member to enjoy longer stays in larger units, in prime seasons wherever they are located.”
“The second group is the younger, just getting started couple, many with young families, who purchase a more inexpensive membership, which mostly allows one week of holiday per year, in a one bedroom unit, in off peak or shoulder seasons. This type of Member tends to start to upgrade their Membership within one year of their initial purchase. The majority of purchases in Australia are financed, with over half of new members taking up APVC’s finance facility.”
“Most want to enjoy quality family time and tend to be taking holidays in shorter periods of 2, 3, or 4 days. APVC is a pure points-based system, which means that all properties (held in trust for all club members) are available to members whose usage is solely contingent on the number of points being expended, the size of the unit, and the time of year, for which the parameters are set and disclosed in advance of the purchase,” Kandel concluded.
