When one reads news of the European Union, it is important that note that not all European countries are part of the EU. Norway, Iceland, and Switzerland are three notable examples of countries without membership, though this doesn’t necessarily mean that these nations are not involved in trade relations with EU members. Changes in the European landscape have brought new nations into the EU over the years, and negotiations with members and non-members work to ensure fair trade agreements for all involved.

The European Economic Area agreement that connects three members of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) to the European Union was established in 1994 for the purpose of allowing all countries involved to freely trade products and services. The EFTA states are treated as a single market, or “Internal Market,” and while they work with the rest of Europe to promote continental tourism and environmental issues they do not utilize the Euro or observe certain policies involving agricultural trade.

The EFTA member states affected by the tenets of the EEA include:

Iceland: Given the nation’s geographical location and isolation from the continent, Icelanders rely heavily on the export of fish and fish products. While more than half of overall exports come from the fisheries, Iceland also produces manufactured aluminum to ship to major trade partners. Less than five percent of their output is traded beyond Europe.

Liechtenstein: While a geographically small country, Liechtenstein exports approximately $3 billion in goods annually, apart from their economic alliance with Switzerland. Machinery and audio/video components are major exports.

Norway: Like its Scandinavian neighbors, Norway’s export industry centers primarily on maritime products and natural resources – shipbuilding, seafood, and petroleum. Like Iceland, a small percentage of trade is exported outside of Europe.

While Switzerland is also a member of the EFTA, the country is not part of the European Economic Area agreement. This country has an agreement with EU nations unique to the EEA.

Involvement of the EUCZ

Independent of activities with the EFTA, the European Union Customs Union holds that tariffs on goods traded across EU borders – and specific nations signed to the agreement – are levied. During international trade negotiations, this union allows the EU to act as a single entity.

The European Union Customs Union is comprised of all EU members and the following nations:

Andorra: Andorra relies more upon tourism than trade to maintain a stable economy. What they do offer to export – tobacco, for one – is traded almost exclusively to France and Spain.

San Marino: San Marino has perhaps one of the most unusual but sought-after exports – commemorative stamps and coins, which contribute to their booming tourism.

Monaco: Known more as a luxurious tourist destination on the French Riviera, this principality relies solely on tourism and its status as a tax haven to generate income.

Turkey: Turkish textiles and apparel are coveted globally, as are exotic foodstuffs. The largest economy of the four non-EU members in this agreement, Turkey trades exports primarily with Western Europe nations.

As non-member nations join the EU, they will also apply to join the EEA agreement and in turn fall under the policies of the customs union. With only a handful of countries left – the majority of them located in Eastern Europe – time will tell how new members benefit from inclusion.

There are thousands of species of Palm Trees. They are considered to be tropical in nature, but most people are not aware that cold hardy palms may be planted outside without any visible damage from temperatures as cold as -20°F. You can see this as far north as Canada and Switzerland

Palm trees, like banana trees, give your home and garden that tropical look, usually found around pools and family recreational areas. Once established, Palm Trees are relatively maintenance free and are not significantly bothered by insects and disease.

There are two basic types of Palm trees and we will tell you about the Northern and Southern Palms.

Cold Palms (Northern Palms)

Afghanistan palm – Pakistan Palm and Mazari Palm – This palm may be the coldest hardy in the world, according to authoritative doctors on the subject of Palms. Their fruit is also edible and very popular to eat in that impoverished nation. The tree grows very slowly and thrives in desert conditions.

Dwarf Palmetto or Sabal minor – Blue Palmetto is widely distributed throughout the Southeastern United States and grows about 6ft. tall in shaded locations. This Palm is very difficult to transplant from the wild.

Needle Palm – Rhapidophyllum hystrix is a needle palm, which are the most frost hardy palms on earth surviving -20°F weather with little damage.

Saw Palmetto or Serenoa Repens – Sassafras Palm has been found growing wild as far north as Virginia, Washington D.C., and New Jersey, and is cold hardy to -10° F.

Windmill Palm or Trachycarpus fortunel has been known to be cold hardy for many years and have been growing in Switzerland for 100 years along Lake Lucerne.

Adapted palms (Southern palms)

Cabbage Palm or Sabal Palmetto – Sabal Palm and Palmetto Palm is the state tree of South Carolina and Florida. It is popular as a landscape tree in southern states with excellent cold-hardiness and transplanting success. Sabal palms are salt water tolerant.

Canary Island Date Palm – Phoenix canariensis or Majestic Palm. Is the most desirable palm to give a tropical look to the landscape. The trees grow about 50ft tall with leaves up to 20ft long.

Chinese Fan Palm is a slow growing palm; forms very large leaves, which will give a full-grown, tree a look of weeping. This palm can withstand below freezing weather, and can grow inside patios. You can find this palm tree along highways. This type of palm tree can grow up to 25ft tall.

Date Palm is the true date palm of North Africa. It has been planted widely in Arizona and California for production of dates. Date palms work well in mall landscaping.

Gum Palm is cold hardy to light freezes, but will freeze in weather below 20°F. The long leaves look like fern fronds, but the leaflets are bright shiny green in colour and stiff and sharply toothed.

European Fan Palm or European Palm. Has a large crown of blue-green fanlike leaves. This palm is considered to be one of the coldest hardy and grows outside. The plant can be relocated and will survive easy with little transplant shock when moved, even in during the summer months.

Pygmy Date Palm is a good container plant when potted indoors. Fine-leafed, small scale, single-trunked palm; grows slowly up to about 5ft.

Washingtonian Palm or Mexican Fan Palm has a tall slender trunk, has a crown of large fan-shaped evergreen fronds, and can provide a very tropical appearance to the landscape.

Sago Palm is a feather leaf palm that is found along the Atlantic coast beach and is 300 years old and 12 feet tall with dignified umbrella crowns.

Phoenix Sylvester Palm or Toddy Palm is very similar to the Canary Island Palm and the edible date palm.

Zamia pumila or Coontie Palm is known as the prehistoric plant, which dominated the earth 200 million years ago and grows 3ft tall on separate male and female plants.

Potato recipes are always energizing and fulfilling. Potatoes are full are carbs, and when combined with cottage cheese, the dish is rich in proteins as well, making it highly nutritious while being equally delightful.

Rosti is a recipe from Switzerland, and it’s very similar to patties or cutlets.

You are going to simply adore this recipe for Paneer and Potato Rosti. This makes a perfect breakfast, or you could have it for supper.

Rosti is fine enough to be served at parties or get togathers, the kids would love it, and this is a fine idea if you have been planning to go out on a picnic.

Paneer and Potato Rosti

Preparation Time 15 minutes

Cooking Time 20 minutes

Makes 4

Come let’s prepare Paneer and Potato Rosti (Cottage Cheese and Potato Patties)

The ingredients are grated potato, black pepper powder, salt, grated paneer, grated cheese, chillies, chopped onions and butter.

We’ve cooked (half boiled) the potato and grated it.

To the potatoes, add black pepper and salt as per taste, and mix well.

Remember, the potatoes should be half cooked.

Next, heat a pan and take a spoonful of butter in it. Once the butter starts melting, add in the onions.

Allow these to become slightly translucent. So we need not fry it for any more time.

Once the onions are slightly translucent, add in green chillies to the pan and mix a little.

Then add cheese. Stir till the cheese melts.

After that, add in cottage cheese.

Once the cottage cheese is slightly roasted, add in the grated potatoes.

We’ll mix this slightly with the cottage cheese.

Roast it for a minute, and then, take it in a bowl and let it cool.

Once it cools, make balls out of it.

Upon making the balls, heat a pan and pour a little oil onto it.

Spread the oil nicely.

Now take a ball and flatten it over the pan, just like patties.

Don’t press too hard, otherwise it might crack up.

Give it a circular shape.

The four patties are now ready. Turn it over to let it be golden brown.

It should turn reddish brown.

Now we’ll take it on a plate.

The Paneer & Potato Rosti is ready. Serve hot with tomato sauce.

Let’s get some fast facts about the history of Rosti.

Prime ingredients of Rosti, as it used to be prepared in Switzerland were potatoes and butter. Rostis provided energy for the farmers to see through the day with ease!

A study by the The Commonwealth Fund, a private institution in the United States which seeks to promote a better health system, showed that a third of American adults forgo a visit to the hospital because they either have no insurance or a plan that is inadequate for their true needs. Those who seek medical care and pay their hospital bills did not end up any better anyway because they have no money to purchase medicines. Contrast that with some areas in Europe such as United Kingdom and the Netherlands, for example, which boast of just 5-6 percent slippage in the number of patients in population who failed to seek medical care due to insurance concerns.

The same survey showed that one in five adults or about 20% in the US could not pay hospital bills. You know what’s the second developed country in the list? France, with a measly nine percent. The issues don’t stop there because the U.S. also has one of the highest out-of-pocket expenses-meaning the amount patients pay before insurance kicks in-for medical bills in the world, right up there (or to be more specific, right down there) with other third world countries with poor government allocation for health service.

The study compared the health care systems in 11 countries like Canada, Australia, U.K., Switzerland, Sweden, Norway, the Netherlands, Australia, France, U.S. and Germany. The gap between the rich and the poor has more impact on the capacity of the patient to pay hospital bills compared to other countries where the “haves” usually foot the bill for the “have-nots.”

The report result is nothing new, of course, because it only confirms what most of us already knows: there’s a need to reform the U.S. health system.

The study analyzes findings from the Commonwealth Fund 2010 International Health Policy Survey in Eleven Countries, focusing on insurance and access to health care experiences reported by 19,700 adults from Australia, Canada, France, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States. The study reveals widespread disparities by income within the United States. Lower income U.S. adults were far more likely than those with above average incomes to report difficulty with medical bills and timely access to health care.

“We spend far more on health care than any of these countries, but this study highlights pervasive gaps in U.S. health insurance that put families’ health and budgets at risk,” said Commonwealth Fund Senior Vice President Cathy Schoen, lead author of the article. “In fact, the U.S. is the only country in the study where having health insurance doesn’t guarantee you access to health care or financial protection when you’re sick. This is avoidable – other countries have designed their insurance systems to value access and limit out-of-pocket costs.”

A new 11-country survey from The Commonwealth Fund finds that adults in the United States are far more likely than those in 10 other industrialized nations to go without health care because of costs, have trouble paying medical bills, encounter high medical bills even when insured, and have disputes with their insurers or discover insurance wouldn’t pay as they expected. According to the report, the findings highlight the need for Affordable Care Act reforms that will ensure access to health care, protect people from medical debt, and simplify health insurance.

Ancient records indicate that making of cheese dates back over 4,000 years. Although no one knows how the first cheese was made. A theory that through the transportation of milk in bladders made of ruminants. The definition of a ruminant is an even-toed ungulate mammal that chews cud regurgitated from its rumen. Storing the milk in such a manner would cause it to coagulate separation into curds and whey. Though the original process may never be known by the time of the Roman Empire the art has become a highly valued process throughout Europe the Middle East. Hundreds of varieties of cheese were produced and traded across the Roman Empire. Many kinds of cheese which are well known today were first produced and recorded in the late middle ages such as cheddar in the 1500’s Parmigiano-Reggiano in 1957, Gouda in 1697 and Camembert in 1791.

France has a long history of making over 400 varieties of cheese. In its early days of production, it remained a local product simply identified by the origin in which it was made. British cheese making began about 2,000 years ago in Pre-Roman times. Cheshire and Lancashire are two that evolved into what we recognize today. As in France most of the cheese making was localized and done by farmers as well as in monasteries. Switzerland, of course, is known for its cheese, Emmental is a firm cheese with a pale yellow color and buttery, mildly sharp taste. Emmental features the characteristic holes typical of swiss cheese.

English Puritans dairy farmers brought to America in the 17th Century their knowledge of cheese making, Following the Revolutionary War, New York was known as the great cheese state. The Southeastern portion of Wisconsin was settled in the 1830’s. By 1850,s immigrants from Germany, Norway, and Switzerland arrived and coupling with American Pioneers stated farmstead cheese manufacturing. It took generations for Wisconsin to evolve and in 1868 Nicholas Gerber opened the first Wisconsin Cheese Factory. by 1910 Wisconsin surpassed Ohio and New York and became the number one in cheese production in the USA.

The invention of processed cheese in 1911, a combination of at least two different types and made popular by James L. Kraft who became known as American Cheese.

Here is a recipe made with delicious cheese.

Cheese Fondue

2 cups shredded natural Swiss Cheese

2 cups shredded Gruyere

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 clove garlic, cut in half

1 cup dry white wine or nonalcoholic white wine

1 tablespoon lemon juice

3 tablespoons Kirsch, dry sherry, brandy or nonalcoholic white wine

1 loaf French bread, cut into 1-inch pieces

1. Place cheese and flour in resealable plastic bag. Shake until cheese is coated with flour.

2. Rub garlic on bottom and side of fondue pot, heavy saucepan or skillet; discard garlic. Add wine. Heat over simmer setting or low heat just until bubbles rise to surface (do not boil). Stir in lemon juice.

3. Gradually add cheese mixture, about 1/2 cup at a time, stirring constantly with wooden spoon over low heat, until melted. Stir in Kirsch.

4. Keep warm over simmer setting. If prepared in saucepan or skillet, pour into a fondue pot or heatproof serving bowl and keep warm over low heat. Fondue must be served over heat to maintain its smooth, creamy texture.

5. Spear bread with fondue forks; dip and swirl in fondue with stirring motion. If fondue becomes too thick, stir in 1/4 to 1/2 cup heated wine.

Fondue is French for “melted” Be patient when making cheese fondue, and allow each addition of cheese to completely melt into the wine before adding more. Serve with tossed green salad and make a meal.

In a post-Brexit world there are multiple existing frameworks that the UK can look to in negotiating a new trade deal with the EU.

• The European Economic Area (EEA) is that which is most similar to the EU, and, the free movement principle is considered essential to membership of the EEA.
• The European Free Trade Agreement (EFTA) consists of the EEA members who remain outside the EU, with Switzerland as the only state not also part of the EEA and as such this is often referred to as the Swiss model. The Swiss model is based upon a multitude of bilateral treaties, and again retains the principle of free movement
• The EU has recently concluded negotiations on the Comprehensive and Economic Trade Agreement (CETA) with Canada, which has yet to come into effect.
• There is also a Customs Union under which Turkey trades with the EU.
• As a baseline, international trade can be governed by the World Trade Organisation (WTO) rules.

EEA

The EEA is perhaps the closest alternative to the EU, and is often referred to as the Norwegian model. The free movement of people principle applies across the EEA and EEA (which includes EU) citizens are free to live and work in EEA states. EEA states are subject to the majority of EU rules and regulations however are exempt on certain areas such as agriculture and fisheries. However, the input that the EEA countries have into EU policy is very limited. They have been described as being subject to the rules without having a seat at the table where the rules are decided upon.

Non-EU countries within the EEA have to pay in to the EU budget proportionate to their economies and do not receive any funding from EU policies or any EU development funds. Norway for example pays in more than many EU member states, this is particularly heightened when you consider that actual members net contributions are reduced by the money they receive from the EU.

EFTA

Switzerland is the only EFTA country to remain outside the EEA and its relationship with the EU is governed by over 120 bilateral agreements. These agreements cover some, but not all, aspects of trade, Switzerland makes a financial contribution to the EU, including to the enlargement fund, and is subject to the Free Movement of People. Switzerland does not have a general duty to implement EU laws but is obliged to do so where trade is concerned. EFTA importantly, does not provide full access to the single market for its banking sector and other parts of the services sector, which together make up almost 80% of the UK economy.

The Swiss model was devised in a very unique context and was intended to be a transition into the EU for Switzerland It is highly unlikely to be replicated

CETA

The EU has recently concluded seven year negotiations on the Comprehensive and Economic Trade Agreement (CETA) with Canada. The deal has not yet come into effect and still faces a number of hurdles to be ratified by each member state.

The EU and Canada have agreed to scrap tariffs on industrial and fisheries products. The majority of agricultural products, with the exception of some key and protected products, will also see tariffs scrapped. The agreement also brings significant liberalisation of public procurements, allowing European companies to bid for public contracts in Canada. Some agricultural products, such as eggs, chicken or beef, have been excluded or limited from the deal meaning an equivalent would make significant sectors of British agriculture subject to tariffs. This type of agreement however is unlikely to be reflected in a similar UK-EU agreement given the geographical and historical links between the two.

CETA does not involve Canada paying into the EU budget or signing up to EU rules on the free movement of people in return for increased market access.The free movement of people is not part of CETA, however, the agreement does provide for visa free travel. Limitations on this right to visa free travel for some member states is the subject of some consternation and could potentially delay ratification.

The presence of an investor state dispute settlement provision may also raise concerns for those who voted to leave the EU on sovereignty concerns.

Trade in goods under the Canadian agreement will be largely based upon EU rules of origin. These rules require a sufficient proportionate amount of a product to be made in Canada. A similar requirement would place additional requirements and customs checks on UK goods, subjecting small business in particular to onerous administrative requirements The UK would be subject to additional tariffs on products the EU seeks to protect whilst having no say on the setting of EU regulations and standards that all products would be required to meet.

There is limited liberalisation with regards to services, and importantly, financial services remain subject to regulatory and licensing requirements. In the wake of the Brexit, the City has stated the importance of Passporting rights to the viability of the financial sector, a CETA style agreement will not provide for any such rights. Passporting rights are the main concern for the City of London post-Brexit and is seen as essential to maintaining the City’s status as the place to headquarter from and do business.

A Customs Union

Turkey currently has a customs union with the EU, meaning that there are no tariffs or quotas on industrial goods exported to EU countries. As part of this union, Turkey must then apply the EU’s external tariff on goods imported from outside the EU.

However, the customs union does not apply to agricultural goods, or services – including financial services. As it is not a member of the EU, Turkey has no say on setting the EU external tariff. Were the UK to adopt such an approach, it would have no vote or influence on the trade deals that the EU pursues, effectively making it a silent partner in EU trade policy

Much like the Swiss bilateral agreements, the Customs Union with Turkey was established as a precursor to eventually joining the EU.

WTO Rules

The UK could access the single market under WTO rules which form the default position for international trade. However, the principle of non-discrimination mandates that, in the absence of a bilateral treaty, members cannot treat any trading partner less favourably. This means the UK would be subject to the tariffs from its biggest trading partner in the form of the EU Common External Tariff. This avenue would also not provide any avenue for financial services to retain their current access to the single market.

The WTO rules will become the default position by which the UK trades with the single market if no trade agreement is reached before the UK exits the EU.

Conclusion

It is unclear which trade deal, or amalgamation of such, the UK will seek to follow. However, what is clear is that there will be important implications for EU citizens based in the UK. We would advise those that are in a position to do so to apply for permanent residency in an effort to solidify their status in the UK.

Probably the most famous Masai and white woman romance tales ever is that of Swiss businesswoman Corinne Hofman and the husband she says was a jealous alcohol addict Masai warrior Lketinga from Kenya in Africa.

It all started when Hofmann went for a two-week holiday in Mombasa, Kenya. It was while she was crossing a river on some ferry with her boyfriend, that she first saw Lketinga. It was not only love at first sight, but the powerful attraction she felt for the powerful Masai warrior made her feel “weak in the knees.”

She describes the experience thus in a newspaper interview she gave; “…You get lost, your legs shake and then you start to think this man will go away and I will be left here with all those feelings and you don’t know what will happen. After this moment I just wanted to sit down and cry. I was really lost. Nothing was important any more – my boyfriend, my shop. I just had to find a way to talk to this man.”

Moments after she set eyes on him, she got a chance to speak to him; amazingly he at least spoke some broken English. She even managed to take a photograph of him and reluctantly left Africa to return to Switzerland. But it was only to pack and tell her boyfriend that it was over between them. She then dashed back to Africa and went on a desperate search for the tall primitive Masai warrior who had literally swept her off her feet.

She ended up marrying him and the couple had a daughter. She later left her Masai husband and fled back to Europe with her then young daughter. Hofman has since written several best selling books on her experiences and a successful movie has even been made in Germany on the whole amazing episode.

Still many ask the question, what are the secrets of the Masai that make them so irresistible to sophisticated European women? What made Hofman go crazy with love and desire that was not quenched until she was in the arms of her primitive African Masai warrior? Some of the amazing never-exposed-before sex-secret-answers can be found in this Masai article.

For a study of an industry that has revived itself from near death to glowing health one need look no further than at the Swiss watch industry. In the early 1980s Swiss watch-making seed to be a dying art. A country that had once been the world’s leader in making traditional mechanical watch movements and cases was on the verge of extinction. The threat at the time came from Japan and the introduction of quartz watch movements. Quartz watches were cheap. They could be produced with little fuss for about one tenth of the cost of a traditional hand-made mechanical watch. And, at the time, labour costs in Japan were far lower than they were in Switzerland. They were accurate too.

Many of the largest companies were slow to adapt. And many that did tried to do so by going downmarket and trying to copy the Japanese. Even Rolex, a long-established luxury brand in Switzerland, ended up introducing quartz movements in its watches. Yet even this was not enough for most companies to stay competitive.

Two trends emerged at the time, however, that marked a turnaround in the Swiss watch industry. The first was the development of the Swatch. This was a breakthrough in watchmaking because it did away with the traditional case and much of the assembly required to make quartz watches by installing the movement directly onto the back of the watch and then sealing it. The emergence of the Swatch allowed for highly mechanized production, which offset Switzerland’s high labour costs and allowed the country to produce genuine Swiss watches that were far cheaper than many made in Asia. The mass production techniques also allowed for rapid innovation and change in style so that Swatch could produce watches in a wide variety of colours and models that could be changed with the season. This way of seeing watches as almost disposable items that could be changed with ones clothes caught on across the world and allowed Swatch to sell the huge volumes of watches needed to support and industrial manufacturing process.

The other trend was towards high-end jewellery watch making. Companies such as Blancpain marketed themselves on the basis that they were keeping alive a centuries old tradition of craft and had never, nor would they ever, adopt quartz movements. That too caught on as manufacturers helped revive a fascination in the movement of a watch. Many now feature glass portholes or cases that allow one to see the inner workings. Although less accurate than quartz, these watches have become symbols of fine craft and careful work. Owning them becomes more than just a status symbol but a feeling that one is contributing to a centuries old tradition.

Introduction:

Watch is not only used for time but since a long time it is also used as a fashionable item. The variety of look and design were used to modify and make the watch attractive. Various jewelry items such as silver, gold, diamond and platinum were incorporated in various proportions by the manufacturers to give watch an attractive look.

Early Watch Manufacturing:

In the history, 1524 is known to be the earliest watch manufacturing year, however early manufacturing begins in France and in the year 1574 a watchmaker named as Charles Cousin shifted to Geneva in Switzerland from France and settled there and got citizenship after thirteen year. During that period, the watch was being used a jewel and became available for masses much later.

Charles Cousin founded a watch guild in Geneva and during the period Switzerland watches became famous. There were various watchmakers in Switzerland before Charles Cousin, but the commitment of Charles Cousin to organize the sector has given boost to the quality manufacturing and propagating the quality to the world. The timepieces made during the period were not perfect as of today. These first timepieces were inaccurate and most of the watches have only hour hand and had to be wound twice a day.

During the period 1600 to 1700, the watches remain a jewelry pieces and the period also saw technical innovation. Two types of watches pendulum and pocket watch were made available during the period. During 1675, a spiral balance spring was used, which improved the accuracy of timekeeping from a fraction of hour earlier to a fraction of minute. Till 1675, the pendulum type were used in the neck, Charles II of England introduced long waistcoats and men used the pockets of these waistcoats to put the watches.

By 1715, English watch makers started using diamond as bearings. By the ends of century the upper bearing of the balance shaft were likely to have the diamonds. During the early 1800’s, the machines for manufacturing watches were developed and clock parts were being manufacturers and subsequently the cost of various watches came down. In late 1800’s many well-known watch companies came and croton watch is one of them.

Croton Watch Company:

Croton Watch Company Inc. was established in the year 1878 and since then the family is continuously running business. Croton Watch Company Inc. is operated from New Jersey, USA. More than 128 years old company is known worldwide for the classical watches. Since the inception of the business, the family is fostering the business in not only United States, but throughout the globe.

Croton wristwatches are classically designed to keep the trends and advances in trend setting for the future generation. The various models of Croton watches have been featured in various magazines including Harpers Bazaar magazine. The models available with Croton are sometimes better than the costlier models supplied by other companies. Croton watch comes with a lifetime warranty.

Classical Models of Croton Wrist watches:

Some of the classical watch models of croton includes RC 307335 wrist watch for male, RC 211069 wrist watch for female, Croton ladies watch model 207758 RHMP, Croton men’s stainless steel limited edition Swiss automatic multifunction diamond bracelet watch, Croton men’s nicolet sport stainless steel bracelet watch, croton skeleton dial watch. All these watches are available from a range of $ 70 to $ 700 in the market.

The history of timeshares began in the French and Swiss Alps back in the 1960s. Limited resort space at that time, combined with high cost and ensuing demand, created a clear need for guaranteed accommodation for an interval of time each year. Popular destinations for timeshares then were France and Switzerland. Since individual families historically took a vacation at the same time each year and liked to return to the same place, these families vacationing in the Alps, determined that it was more affordable for several families to jointly own one chalet and to take turns sharing it for a period of time, rather than individually owning vacation homes. European resort owners then built on that concept and began to sell one or two weeks at a resort area to individuals and families on a “time share” basis rather than selling individual year-round condominium units.

A savoir-faire French development company recognized the considerable growth in the travel and tourism industry and was one of the first two companies that began to offer this brand new timeshare model. Those same two companies are credited with developing the first ever timeshare slogan; “No need to rent the room; buy the hotel, its cheaper!” At the same time, another company in Switzerland also offered the successful timeshare model. The owners soon began purchasing resort properties in Italy, Spain, and Switzerland giving their members a wider and more exotic choice of timeshare destinations.

The first timeshare in the United States started in Hawaii on the island of Kauai in 1969, while the first state in the continental U.S to offer timeshares was Florida. During the 1970’s, many existing condo developments in Florida began moving towards a resort type timeshare model. In 1973, a joint effort by the Hyatt and Innisfree companies offered what they called the first timeshares that gave the purchaser an actual deed to show that they did in fact own a portion of the property. Timeshare then became very popular in condominiums and resorts throughout the country and in 1974, exchanging or swapping an ownership week occurred for the very first time.

Since its introduction into the U.S. market, the timeshare industry has grown at breakneck speed and it is now the fastest growing segment of the entire hospitality industry. Since 1990, the industry has grown 75% in terms of timeshare resorts developed and ownership of timeshares. Over 4 million households worldwide in more than 190 countries are timeshare owners today, with over 3 million Americans owning their vacations rather than ‘renting’ them. The United States alone accounts for the bulk of timeshare owners, currently holding 45% of all properties worldwide. Today RCI, is the largest timeshare vacation exchange company in the world, facilitating the exchange of vacations from different resort locations for timeshare owners.

The great thing about timeshare is that it is a concept that allows people to own a fractional part of a product that they might not normally be able to afford on their own – whether it is a house, condo, boat, or plane – and use it during a specific period of time. The time used by the owner can either be set by their contract to the same time period each year, or it can be flexible; allowing the owner to book the time through a centralized reservation system.

Regardless, the concept of Fractional Ownership is becoming very popular among both families and corporations. Businesses and families both appreciate the quality, flexibility, and affordability that the timeshares of today allow them to experience. Over the years, timeshare has expanded to include owning time on pleasure boats, cruise ships, and even private jets!

Today’s most recent timeshare programs are evolving into a points-based system as opposed to the earlier model of a week-based system, allowing owners complete flexibility to vacation at any time of year, at any location, in any size unit, for as long or as little as they like, based upon the number of points they have.