EMERGING black nouveau riche investors are the biggest drivers of a renewed boom in timeshare and fractional ownership of hotels in South Africa.

The Timeshare Institute of Southern Africa's Deon Viljoen, forecast 16% of timeshare sales would go to emerging black investors in future and that this would become a massive growth market in future. He told the Hospitality Investment Conference in Africa (Hica) in Cape Town, the trend would spread into Africa, noting that Mozambique recently passed timeshare legislation.

He predicted revitalised interest in South Africa would focus mostly on branded hotel companies and condominium-type hotel developments. The country already had a mature R2bn timeshare industry totaling 230 resorts, involving 260, 000 owners and 85% occupancy of 400 000 timeshare weeks. Tourism trends that influenced timeshare investments were long working hours, shorter lead times, shorter and more frequent holidays and the Internet (web-based sales and interactive consumer intelligence).

Other future trends due to impact on it were consumer demands for quality and good value that would drive upgrades of existing facilities; demanded flexibility of exchanging times; consumers wanting to own part of the product and wanting to  connect with friends and family while on vacation; eco-friendly lifestyles; and consumers being involved in the design of the product.