Accepting the “Best Media” award, David Gilbert, Interval’s executive vice president of resort sales and marketing, commented, “It’s an honor to be recognized for our innovative approach to creating a unique member platform. Interval Community is a natural extension of our ongoing commitment to members and we’re delighted that they’re finding such value in connecting with each other about their vacation ownership.”

With more than 115,000 member profiles and 30,000 content-rich postings, Interval Community offers practical information for members on how to maximize their membership. This forum has enjoyed over 6 million page views, many of which were repeat visitors. Additionally, it has become an important consumer research tool to better serve the needs of its members.

“We’re also very pleased to see our resort clients recognized in such large numbers. It’s a real tribute to the high-quality of the properties and the exceptional vacation experiences they provide their owners and Interval’s exchange guests,” Gilbert added.

GNEX 2012 was a gathering of shared ownership industry professionals representing more than 175 companies from around the world. The awards, presented at a gala dinner, were chosen through a combination of online voting and judging by a panel of industry experts.

Bali the famed “Island of the Gods” is one over 17,000 islands in the Indonesian archipelago it measures 140 kms from east to west and 80 kms from north to south. It has a varied landscape, rugged coastlines and sandy beaches; lush rice terraces and volcanic hillsides all of which provides a picturesque backdrop to its colourful, deeply spiritual and unique culture making it a paradise on earth.

Indonesia has the world’s largest Muslim community, Bali is the exception with 95% of its inhabitants being Hindu which influences every aspect of the islanders daily life.

Phuket by contrast is Thailand’s largest island covering an area of 539 square miles with 39 offshore islets. 70% of the island is mountainous with the majority of its pristine sandy beaches being located on the western coast. While the majority of Thais are Buddhist again Phuket is the religious exception with 30% of the islanders being Muslim.

80% of tourist travelling to Indonesia only visit Bali so direct international flights are essential the Island has scheduled flights from Europe, the Middle East, Asia and Australia. Phuket is served by more destinations;it also has charter flights from Europe and is connected to the Thai mainland by two bridges.

For most nationalities when they fly into Phuket they enjoy a visa exemption for a stay up to 30 days. The same travellers when flying into Bali are required to may US$ 25 or its equivalent for a Visa on a Arrival for the same period of stay. When they depart Thailand their departure tax is include in their ticket; departing Bali they need to have kept IDR 150,000 cash to pay the departure tax as there are no ATM machines in the International Departure Terminal.

Thailand welcomes retirees from the age of 50 who can prove they don’t have a criminal record. They need either capital equivalent of THB 800,000 deposited in a Thai bank a minimum of two months prior to making their visa application or a monthly income from outside of Thailand equal to THB 65,000. The Royal Thai Embassy in their country of residence will issue a visa for 90 days which can be extended to one year and renewed annually providing they continue to meet the requirements for a retirement visa.

Indonesia grants visa to national of 24 countries who are 55 with overseas monthly pension income equal to US$ 1,500 plus health, life and third party insurance. In addition they specify the type of property where an overseas retiree can live; it must have a purchase price of not less than the equivalent of US$35,000 or rented for a minimum of US$ 300, Having renewed an Indonesian consecutively for five years the applicant can apply for permanent stay certificate (KITAP) which is valid for five years.

Retirees often want to buy homes in their tropical paradise. In Indonesia one option is for a local person or company to buy the property in their name and to simultaneously give the foreign buyer Power of Attorney over the property with total and exclusive right to use, sell, transfer or lease the land combined with a statement that the proceeds of any sale belong to the foreign purchaser and not the nominee.

A more secure way is to establish an Indonesian company and 100% foreign equity is now possible. The draw back is this ownership freehold isn’t possible but Building Rights Title which effectively has the same strength as freehold subject to the companying continuing to use the land. Indonesian land laws are designed to prevent speculation by absentee owners how leave the land idle. Providing the purchase buys the land, builds a property which is occupied this title is safe.

While in Thailand the Civil and Commercial Code gives foreigners have the same property rights as are available to Thai nationals, however it is under the Land Code Act B.E. 2497 (1954) prohibited for foreigners to own land in Thailand. So with the purchase of a house or villa the purchase of land and the building need to be two transactions requiring quality legal representation to protect the foreigner owners rights. In both countries the legal requirements to buy property are complicated and open to risk without have the right legal advise, renting may be a less complicated option with no capital risk.

All travellers but particularly retirees need to have access quality medical services and as mentioned earlier retirees are required by law to have health insurance to cover medical expenses. Possibly the best medical care in Bali can be found at Sanglah Hospital, Jl. Kesehatan Selatan 1, Sanglah, Denpasar, Phone: +62 361 227 911 to 15 / +62 361 232 603 (VIP rooms) / +62 361 247 250 to 5 (Super VIP rooms)

In Phuket there are many high quality hospitals on admission patients are required to complete consent and admission forms and produce a travel insurance or credit card to ensure the hospital fees can be covered. Rooms in hospitals in Thailand are similar to a 3-4 star hotel equipped with a TV with International channels, fridge and a telephone. Visiting tends to be flexible and friends and family are welcome stay and extra beds can be arranged.

Both Bali and Phuket offer a wide range restaurants offering an endless variety of cuisines ranging from seafood to European style pizzerias, burger bars to fine dining restaurant, with an extensive selection of wines.

Bali boasts four championship golf courses, and what makes these courses different are the beauty of its lakes, ocean, mountains and rice terraces. In 1997 Fortune Magazine selected Bali Golf and Country Club as one of Asia’s five best golf courses. The best time to play golf here is in the early afternoon. For the discerning golfer interested in nature consider Bali Handara Kosaido Country Club. The course is nestled 1,142 meters above sea level within the slopes of an extinct volcano crater, with walls of dense forest at the back, and a tranquil lake at the base of the valley.

Thailand’s deputy transport minister Kittisakdi Hathasongkorh said that the runway will be lengthened by 700m to allow the new generation of ‘superjumbos’ – the Airbus A380 and Boeing 747-8 – to fly to the island from Europe.

“In order to meet demand for larger arrival numbers projected over coming years, passenger-terminal capacity will also need to be expanded,” said Hathasongkorh.

The Thai Government and Airports of Thailand approved the runway extension plan in May 2008, although there were some complexities involved because it is bounded at one end by the sea and at the other by jungle-covered hills.

Sornkhom is not confident that the completion of the new international terminal and runway extension in March 2015 would be able to cater to the needs of the airport for very long.

According to Airports of Thailand managing director Anirut Thanombutr, the newly expanded terminal will reach its maximum passenger handling capacity by 2018.

The airport handles around eight million passengers a year, which is 1.5 million more than the facility’s maximum capacity.

Caption: Phuket’s terminal expansion will be carried out under a $180m project, which will enable the airport to handle 12.5 million visitors a year.

Nestled between two perfect white sand beaches, every one of the 45 apartments and penthouses enjoy breath-taking views of the Andaman Sea.

The suites, available as studio, one and two-bedroom, combine the best of contemporary design, architecture and furniture to create a comfortably chic holiday retreat.

Svetlana Andyryukina, the editor of International Residence, Russia’s leading Overseas Property magazine, told OPP that “almost all Russians have low outgoings and reasonably low income tax rates of just 13% on their declared earnings.”

“Their reluctance to also rely on their own banking system has fuelled a huge appetite for overseas investments with an estimated US$12billion earmarked for the real estate markets abroad.’”

Whether they buy personally or through an off-shore account, Andyryukina says that “Russians are taking advantage of buying up distressed real estate in Spain plus countries including Bulgaria, Turkey or Italy. And Asia is expected to become their next target”

For Kim Waddoup, whose company aiGroup runs a series of overseas property shows in Russia, the market is booming. Re-bookings at his events are running at 90% and his only problems is finding “more exhibition space to cope with the large number of overseas companies wishing to join and exhibit in 2012.”

Russians are also taking to the internet in a big way with internet penetration growing fast. At the end of 2010 there were 59,700,000 users in Russia, 42.8% of the population. The increase from 2009-2010 was in excess of 31%. Russia now has the second-highest penetration of internet users in Europe. It is only beaten by Germany with 65 million users.

Yandex, Russia’s leading search engine recorded a 37% increase in searches for Bulgarian homes abroad in the middle of last year with Spain proving the second-most popular destination with a 23%increase in overseas property searches to 70,337.

The  www.1-property.ru real estate portal is also regularly getting over 5,000 visits a day from Russian property investors interesting in buying overseas. Thailand is on their radar too. The island resort of Phuket saw a 109% surge in Russians vacationing there in the first half of 2011 according to the market research group C9 Hotel Works.

The Russian press estimates that the country is poised to invest more than US $12Billion into homes abroad this year.

Tufnell and family enjoyed warm Thai hospitality, five minutes from the island of Phuket, at the luxury all-villa resort The Village Coconut Island.  Taking time out not only to challenge The Village Coconut Island League Team but to host a charity dinner as Ambassador of the Absolute World Group – Thailand’s leading and multi award winning vacation ownership brand – attended by local dignitaries, press and cricket enthusiasts. The event raised EURO1,325 for Absolute’s charity of choice, the Phuket Has Been Good To Us Foundation, supporting children effected in the Thailand Tsunami disaster.

In a country where football, Muay Thai, tennis and golf have high visibility, it may be surprising to note that cricket has been played recreationally in Thailand since 1890. And Phuket recently welcomed its first purpose-built all-weather cricket pitch, which will host the famous Marylebone Cricket Club to play the first official match in February 2012.

Tufnell and family were guests of the Absolute World Group who are the premier sales and marketing agent for the second phase of development at The Village Coconut Island, offering both whole and shared ownership of a new phase of two bedroom private pool villas and Jacuzzi suites, which will encompass a total of 236 villas.

Amongst it’s growing accolades, The Village Coconut Island recently gained HOT LIST 7 status within this year’s South East Asia’s Top 20 Resort Properties in Property Report Asia, enjoying a top position in this year’s Hot List, amongst some of the regions other most sought after resorts: Six Senses, Karma Kandara, W Samui Residences, Malaiwana, Banyan Tree Residences and Nexus Residences.

Book now at www.mycoconutisland.com

Steve embarked on his impressive sales career at the tender age of 6, selling reclaimed golf balls back to caddy’s at his local course before moving up to semi professional golf and eventually as a Cold Line Rep for Matchroom Country Club in Spain. Within just 2 months in his new post he achieved 5 Stars and became known as a Superstar Rep. He didn’t stop there, going on to achieve an outstanding full collection of Gold, Diamond, Ruby and Sapphire 5 Stars.

In 1997, Steve joined the In-House Sales Team where he wrote 1 million Sterling in the month of August 1998, whilst also maintaining a flourishing yet no doubt exhausting position as Matchroom Country Club Golf Resident and Pro, with a promotion to In-House Manager in only one year.

By 2003 Steve was in need of a well-earned break and decided upon Thailand for the relaxation he so desperately deserved. However a chance encounter with Absolute World Group Chairman & CEO Bryan Lunt had Steve planning his next move.

And so Steve joined Absolute’s team of leading sales professionals where he has continued to grow at the pace only he knows, now heading up In-House sales and focusing on the continued development of Absolute’s award winning collection of resort properties and encouraging and inspiring his team.

In 2011, Steve’s key achievements alone include:

1.4 million Euros worth of Net Sales Volume written in 2011

68 Shared Ownership contracts written within 2011

A 39% closing rate

A Euro 6,500 efficiency per client

A Euro 32,000 efficiency per deal

Four 5 Star awards in 2011

Awarded Absolute World Group Best In-House Sales Representative 2011

Of Steve Lever, Bryan Lunt says, “Steve is pivotal member of our Absolute World Group team and has demonstrated an outstanding talent for sales over his years with us. He has played a key role in driving our resort sales to unprecedented levels and is extremely well respected by colleagues and clients alike. We certainly feel he has earned and very much deserves the accolade of Best Individual Sales professional in this industry.”

Steve Lever, Absolute World Group

Nominated For: Best Individual Professional -Sales

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