Philippe Myer's blog

Senegal’s Authored Revolution

Senegal's countryside during the rainy season.

Young Senegalese are revolting against the government in droves as journalists and hip hop artists capture the breath of a nation together.

In despotic, war torn Senegal, two unlikely forces are combining to shed a light on poverty and a lack of urban progress: journalists and rappers.

Recently a power outage lasting days hit Senegal’s capital city. The rap artists here began a movement called “Y’En a Marre,” which is French for “Enough is enough.” Senegal isn’t used to much tourism, or people vacationing at its poorly equipped resorts.

From the protests over the days-long blackout, the movement held a voter registration drive. They wish the ouster of President Abdoulaye Wade, a man who has far outlived the average age in Senegal of 19. They’ve created a song that has garnered hundreds of thousands of views on Youtube, where many of the rappers put their forearms together in an “X” as a statement of displeasure with President Wade.

Despite the President’s unpopularity, he will most likely be elected for a third term. But Senegal’s youth movement will not go away either, paving the way for healthy debate and possibly a young star to lead Senegal in the future.

Purchasing timeshares in Senegal may be a risky investment. We can transfer a contract out of your name if you do. 

Irish Youth Flee As Unemployment Rate Soars

   

The Temple Bar, Dublin.

 

Young Irish are fleeing the small nation as the unemployment rate has stayed at 14% and continues to climb. Since the country’s bailout in November 2010, employers have cut jobs.

Irish plight in the Eurozone has gone largely unnoticed due to the chaos in Greece and Portugal. Exports grew by 3.8% last year, but some of the country’s largest employers have said they will cut jobs throughout the year.

Real estate, just like in the United States, was a large contributor to Ireland’s economic collapse. Young graduates can’t find jobs, as competition is fierce, and employers can afford to be choosy. People want to work, but there just aren’t jobs for them.

The Irish government is beginning to offer loans and low interest rates to small businesses in order to encourage growth. They also are revamping their unemployment benefits program, to help those out of a job the longest find jobs again. Unfortunately, the Irish middle class are bracing for a year of what could be exceptional hardship.

 

Myanmar Opens Up to Western Tourism

 

Many political have occurred recently for Myanmar, one of the most isolated countries in Asia. Twenty years of sanctions and fifty years of military rule ended last year. During the World Economic Forum last year in Switzerland, both Marriott International and Starwood Hotels and Resorts stated their desire to open hotels in the country.

Myanmar is hugely underdeveloped, has a deprived economy and an infrastructure decades behind its neighbors. Precious few five-star hotels exist throughout the country, and all are backed by small local chains. It’s like Vietnam was twenty years ago, or how Cuba may be in the near future. It’s rich, interesting and exotic, with golden temples and cultural sites unblemished by rapid development seen elsewhere in Asia. Its southeastern neighbor, Thailand, has more than 4,000 hotels and resorts. They attracted 19 million visitors next year. Myanmar was only visited by 424,000 people from April 2010 to March 2011.

Sanctions placed on the country by both Europe and the United States, coupled with years of mismanaged finances by changing military governments, have devastated the economy. A third of the country's workforce earns only a few US dollars each month. The fact that the country is behind economically is very attractive to both tourists and the resorts that would serve them.

"I think it's time for people like us to look at Burma," said Vasant Prabhu, vice chairman and Chief Financial Officer of Starwood Hotels & Resorts. 

"It's a beautiful country," says Nancy Johnson, vice president of development for Carlson Hotels. "If there's an opportunity to go there, we will be there."

 Transfer Smart can get you out of a unwanted timeshare contract, even if it’s in Myanmar. Contact us today.

 

Timeshare Vacation Safety in Colorado

With the ski season now upon us, hotspot Vail Colorado is looking for a way to keep its visitors safe. On the Friday before Christmas, Vail Resorts launched a new safety initiative called “Play It Safe, Play All Season.”

Neighboring Beaver Creek has already put up signs with the slogan and received positive feedback from the move. Signs remind skiers and riders to “Be smart, pay attention,” “check your blind spots,” “look before you go” and “merge with care.”

“Play It Safe, Play All Season” is not only a reminder that patrons should take care not to take part in dangerous activity, but a warning that those who don’t play it can lose their season passes and not be allowed to ski at all.

The strategy for increased safety this year has come straight from the top of two of Eagle County’s most popular resorts, Vail Mountain Chief Operating Officer Chris Jarnot and Beaver Creek Chief Operating Officer Doug Lovell wrote a letter to Vail’s local newspaper to spread the word. Included was a “Responsibility Code,” which references the Colorado Ski Safety Act. That seven page state document includes a law similar to the vehicular hit-and-run law: “no skier involved in a collision with another skier or person in which an injury results shall leave the vicinity of the collision before giving his or her name and current address to an employee of the ski area operator or a member of the ski patrol, except for the purpose of securing aid for a person injured in the collision.” The letter continues: “We're all in this together, and while everyone is ultimately responsible for their actions, we feel it is our responsibility to help facilitate a safer environment for skiing and snowboarding and to continue educating both our guests and employees about slope safety.”

Local Vail Yellow Jacket Kate Kinas, a member of Vail’s dedicated mountain safety crew, says the signs are working. “People are more aware,” she said.

Transfer Smart offers a safe way out of your timeshare contract. Call them today at 866-906-4494, and transfer your timeshare title today.

 

Breadfruit- Plentiful and... Not So Amazing?

In a time where starvation and hunger is a worldwide issue, a small group of entrepreneurs in Hawaii believe they have a solution. The breadfruit tree produces a fruit that is high in nutrients and calories, and grows in hot climates. It is also one of the world’s highest yielding fruit trees. The only problem is it tastes terrible.
“Like undercooked potatoes,” says Diane Ragone, a Kauai horticulturist.
But some believe it could feed villages, if only people would develop a taste for it. With this in mind, a group based out of Captain Cook, Hawaii organized the first ever Breadfruit Festival, inviting cooks from all over the world to come up with different dishes and generate interest and publicity for the maligned fruit, a member of the fig family.
Dishes served included breadfruit quiche, breadfruit pancakes, breadfruit tamales and of course, breadfruit bread. Festival attendees found new ways to boil, mash, steam, roast and pickle breadfruit. This left contestants excited about the future of breadfruit.
"I feel it's the food of the future," says Olelo pa'a Faith Ogawa, a Hawaii-born private chef. "If I were to speak to the breadfruit spirit, it would tell me: 'Grow me! Eat me! I can feed villages!’"

Only time will tell if mainlanders and the rest of the world will get as excited about breadfruit.

Hey guys, welcome back to my blog! It maybe a little early, but Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! I feel obligated to say it today since I haven’t posted in almost a whole month and I feel TERRIBLE about it.
Many families have their kids at home ( I know I do) and they’re headed to an exotic location for the holidays. Mexico, Orlando, Hawaii anyone? I remember taking a vacation to a CERTAIN resort in Orlando and buying a timeshare… easily one of the biggest mistakes of my life. Thank GOODNESS for TransferSmart! They got me out of my Interval-resort contract and they can do the same for you. They have an in-writing guarantee which put me completely at ease.

Alright guys, hope to talk to you again soon. I have more presents to buy. Be safe out there :)

Time To Give Thanks

Many families are traveling around the world these couple of weeks in anticipation of Thanksgiving. Many travel towards their loved ones while others are seeking a family vacation. However, is owning a timeshare stopping you from truly enjoying a family vacation? Are yearly maintenance fees and other hidden costs finally adding up? What many timeshare owners do not know is that there is another way of getting rid of your timeshare besides trying to sell it online. Transfer Smart is a company who dedicates their time to help timeshare owners who want out of their timeshare obligations. They provide a written guarantee to their clients and are more than willing to go the extra mile. So before you cut into that delicious turkey contact Transfer Smart and get out of your timeshare once and for all. 

Transfer Smart News: Timeshare Owners and Companies Oppose a New Tax Scheme

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Since the economic meltdown broke out in the late of 1997, the timeshare industry suffers from falling sales. This also resulted to the many owners trying to get out of their timeshares because of the difficulty paying the fees. That’s why when a new tax on timeshare owners is proposed to be implemented, the timeshare companies strongly opposed. In Myrtle Beach, timeshare owners and management companies are opposing a proposal that would require them to pay accommodations taxes on maintenance fees. 

According to the Sun News of Myrtle Beach, there’s a proposal to apply the state's visitor tax to those who stay there on timeshare programs. Meanwhile, it will be debated next week by the state's Tax Realignment Commission.

Some support this new tax as it could bring in $12 million for marketing the state's tourism products. They stressed out that timeshares benefit from the same advertising that brings tourists to the state's hotel rooms. As Frans Mustert, a Myrtle Beach hotelier who helped draft the proposal said, referring to timeshare owners, "It walks like a tourist, it lives like a tourist, it does things like a tourist ... and should pay taxes like a tourist."

On the other hand, opponents of this new tax said timeshare owners already pay property taxes on their condos and villas and therefore, should not have to pay the same tax charged for renting a room or place to stay for a vacation. One of those who oppose is Jason Gamel, vice president of the timeshare trade group American Resort Development Association, who said that timeshare owners are the same as people who have second homes at the beach. To charge them real property tax and then charge another for an accommodations tax is double dipping somewhere.

Transfer Smart News: Recent Study Highlights the Economic Contributions of the Timeshare Industry

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For the past years, we typically hear complaints from the timeshare industry. The complainants are usually victims of scams and those owners who are trying to get out of their timeshares. But on the positive side, this industry is also a significant contributor to the economy. Recently, there’s an economic impact study of the timeshare industry which emphasizes its key economic and fiscal impacts on the US economy in 2009.

Such study was conducted by the American Resort Development Association (ARDA) and developed in conjunction with Ernst & Young. The report also shows that the US timeshare industry generated an estimated $69 billion of economic output. This economic contribution of the US timeshare industry is comprised of 465,800 full- and part-time jobs, more than $22 billion in income and nearly $8.4 billion in total taxes.

As Howard Nusbaum, ARDA president and chief executive officer said, the contribution of the timeshare industry on local economies goes beyond the resort footprint. He added that in addition to sales and corporate operations, development of new resorts and renovation projects, it also includes the impact of expenditures from vacationers during timeshare stays.

On the other hand, the study highlights the private-sector benefits of the timeshare industry. It includes jobs and income, and tax contributions which are important revenue sources for federal, state and local governments. Moreover, the timeshare industry also produces significant amounts of individual income tax and employment tax at the federal level and contributes to property tax, sales tax and occupancy tax revenue for state and local governments.

Transfer Smart News: US Federal Trade Commission and AGs Issues Alert about Reselling Timeshares

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If you want to get out of your timeshare and thinking about employing the services of a resale company, then beware! Recently, the US Federal Trade Commission and several state attorneys general have issued alerts warning consumers about selling a timeshare through a reseller. All of them gave similar warnings that you should know who you are dealing with and what you are getting before you sign an agreement.

One of the latest scams these days is through an email. Typically, it was the promise of fast cash for selling a timeshare which is similar to frequent flyer miles. The deal could be tempting in this tight economy for an upfront fee of a certain amount, the agent would take the timeshare and sell them for others to use at an unusual price. There’s also a sample contract attached to the e-mail detailed that the upfront fee was to cover marketing costs.

In Florida, the attorney general's office said most resale companies require a $300 to $500 advance listing fee before the sale can take place. It strongly recommends choosing a company that collects its fee after the sale of the vacation property goes through. There’s also another email scams from agents looking to sell timeshare points foreclosures quickly at deeply discounted rates. According to Florida attorney general’s office, such sales pitch alone should raise a red warning flag. A salesman might try to convince you that the market is hot and buyers are flooding in to buy timeshares. It is better to be skeptical about those claims and don't be pressured by sales tactics.