In contrast to many other industries, timeshares have escaped the biggest consequences of the financial crisis due to lending policies as well as customers' motivations.

According to Howard C. Nusbaum, former president of the America Resort Development Association (ARDA), timeshare lending differs from the one practiced on Wall Street which resulted in the sub-prime mortgage crisis.

That is because timeshare loans go to people with good credit who are pre-paying for their future vacations using traditional financing. Moreover, owners do not spend extra money on timeshares but use their annual vacation budget to make the payments.

Nusbaum also stressed timeshare owners motivations are an important reason vacation ownership did not contribute to the mortgage crisis.

"Timeshare, fractional and PRC owners understand that you buy this real estate-based product to use it [so they do not] flip it," he wrote on the ARDA website.

"They buy because they value traveling with their families and staying in accommodations that allow everyone the necessary space, comfort and quality to truly rejuvenate," he added.

Nusbaum concluded by saying that timeshare owners appreciate how this vacation option enhances their well-being and good health.

According to some experts, the unique nature of the timeshare market means it will be the first to recover within the tourism industry when the economy starts improving.