B

BARGAIN SITE:

This is a website where you can get discounts on travel events, such as tickets for shows and tour opportunities.

BANQUET:

Dinner for numerous people that is generally ceremonial in nature

BANQUET CAPTAIN:

The party at food functions who presides over the banquet service.

BASE FEE:

A monthly fee agreed upon by hotel management, typically two to four percent of monthly gross revenues of the hotel, to be earned by the hotel operator

BED & BREAKFAST:

A small, typically local establishmentThey are often run by an innkeeper and offer a home-away-from home feel for visitors.

BED TAX:

An added price to a hotel room imposed by the city or country based on where the hotel is located.

BELOW THE LINE PROMOTION:

Free printed promotional items, such as brochures and direct mail, set to build a relationship with the consumer.

BENCHMARKING:

A method of comparing a hotel against competitors. Subjects of comparing could include product/service, room rate, or quality

BEO: Acronym for banquet event order

BEST AVAILABLE RATE (BAR):

A pricing system used by hotels to define a rate based on the demand and occupancy of a room

BKG: Acronym for booking

BLOCKED: Hotel rooms reserved without a deposit

BOOKING FORM:

A document which tour purchasers must complete which gives the operator full particulars about who is buying the tour It states exactly what is being purchased, and must be signed as acknowledgment that the clause has been read and understood

BOOKING:

A successful sale in the tourism industry.

BOUTIQUE HOTELS:

Smaller luxury hotels that separate themselves from large competitors by their service and product offering

BULK FARE:

A reduced fare usually for professional tour operators or travel agents for purchases of a large number of tickets

CANCELLATION POLICY:

Setting terms and conditions that can encourage your customers to make a commitment when they book tours or activities

CAPACITY MANAGEMENT:

A process that seeks to ensure that their organizations operate at optimum capacity whilst maintaining customer satisfaction levels

CARRIER:

A transportation company such as an airline, motor coach, cruise line, or railroad which carries passengers

CARRYING CAPACITY:

The amount of visitor activity that a site or destination can sustain

CASH FLOW:

Money available to meet the company ’ s daily operating expenses, as opposed to equity, accounts receivable, or other credits not immediately accessible.

CHD:

It is nothing more than an abbreviation for Children used in a rooming list. It means kids are staying in a room.

COMMISSION:

A percentage of your incomes that an agent will charge tour operators to send customers. A common practice in the tourism industry is to pay from 10% and up to 30% commission to resellers

CONCIERGE:

A hotel employee whose job is to assist guests by booking tours, making theatre and restaurant reservations, etc

COMPLIMENTARY ROOM:

A guest room for which no charge is made Complimentary rooms with a tour group are usually occupied by the tour manager or driver

COMPUTER RESERVATION SYSTEMS (CRS):

System used for inventory management by airlines, hotels and other facilities CRSs can allow direct access through terminals for intermediaries to check availability, make reservations and print tickets.

CONFIRMED RESERVATION:

An oral or written agreement by a supplier that he has received and will honor a reservation.

CONTINENTAL BREAKFAST:

At a minimum, a beverage (coffee, tea or milk) and rolls or toast Fruit juice is often added

CONTINENTAL PLAN (CP):

A hotel rate which includes a continental breakfast with the overnight room stay

CUSTOMER SUPPORT:

A network that allows a customer to get the help they need, when they need it and in the medium that they require Most popular customer support options include phone and online support.

CXL:

Abbreviation for "cancel" often used in rooming lists

DAY RATE:

A reduced rate granted for the use of a guest room during the daytime, not overnight occupancy

DAY VISITORS:

Visitors who arrive and leave the same day.

DATABASE:

A collection of organized data These can include a collection of tables, queries, reports, views and other elements

DBL:

Abbreviation that refers to a double room, in which 2 adults stay and can be accompanied by up to two minors in the same room

DEPOSIT POLICY:

A specified amount or a percentage of the total bill due on a specified date prior to arrival

DEPOSIT:

An advance payment required to obtain confirmed space.

DESTINATION:

The place to which someone is going An area, region or a place visited by tourists.

DESTINATION MANAGEMENT COMPANY (DMC):

Business that specializes in promoting the specific area where they operate from.

DESTINATION MANAGEMENT ORGANIZATION (DMO):

Non-for-profit association or governmental organization designed to promote a destination

DOMESTIC TOURISM: Travel within the country of residence

DOUBLE-OCCUPANCY RATE:

The price per person for a room to be shared with another person.

DOUBLE-ROOM RATE:

The full price of a room for two people (twice the double-occupancy rate).

DOWNGRADE:

To move to a lesser level of accommodations or a lower class of service

ENCRYPTED PAYMENTS:

A form of payment security solution to help protect online transaction processing.

ENVIRONMENTAL AUDITING:

Inspection of a tourism organization to assess the environmental impact of its activities

EUROPEAN PLAN (EP):

A type of rate that consists of the price of the room only, no included meals

EVENT ORGANIZER:

A person who is trained and qualified to organize a particular event for a community, company or hotel property

EXCURSION:

Journey where the traveler returns to the original point of departure.

FAM TOUR:

An abbreviation for familiarization tour which is often a complimentary travel to acquaint them with a specific destination or attraction

FLAT RATE:

A specific room rate for a group agreed upon by the hotel/group in advance

FOLIO:

An itemized record of a guest’s charges and credits, maintained in the front office till departure, and can be referred to as guest bill

FORECAST:

An analysis that renders revenue expectations for an upcoming period

FREE INDEPENDENT TRAVELER (FIT): A person or a couple that is not traveling with a group

FRONT OFFICE:

The main functions of which are the control of guest rooms, providing keys, keeping guest accounts and providing information to other departments.

FULL HOUSE: A hotel with all guest rooms occupied

FULL BOARD (FB):

Plan that includes accommodation, breakfast, lunch and evening meal

GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM (GDS): a computer reservation system that allows a travel company to manage its reservations while at the same time communicate with its customers. GDS are used by travel agent to access flight, accommodations, care rental, tours and activities

GROUND OPERATOR:

A company or individual providing such services as hotel, sightseeing, transfers, and all other related services for groups See receptive operator

GROUP TOUR: A pre-arranged, pre-paid travel program for a group usually including all components

GROUP RATE: A special discounted rate given to groups. It could be a negotiated rate for a hotel, convention, trade show, meeting or tour

GUARANTEED TOUR: A tour guaranteed to operate.

GUEST ACCOUNT: An itemized record of a guest’s charges and credits

GUIDE: A professional that is accompanying a tour that's qualified to conduct tours of specific localities or attractions

HALF BOARD (HB): Plan that includes accommodation, breakfast and evening meal (doesn't include lunch)

HALF PENSION (HP): Similar to a half-board, however secondary meal is dinner.

HIGH SEASON: Also known as peak season A specific time of year when demand is strong to a specific destination. The higher demand often leads to higher prices charged

HOTEL: A popular accommodation choice made by travelers across the globe Hotels typically offer one-room accommodations but many also have upgrades to suites available They are often larger places to stay that offer more amenities such as pools, gyms and restaurants.

HOSTEL:

Known as an inexpensive place to stay while traveling abroad, hostels are often geared toward the young crowd. Many people bunk with other people that they do not know in order to keep the costs down

HOUSE COUNT: The total guest occupancy of a hotel at any given moment.

IIMPROMPTU TRAVEL:

No arrangements booked in country of destination prior to travel

INBOUND TOUR OPERATOR (ITO):

An inbound tour operator is specialized in providing tours to overseas travelers visiting a destination, by operating the tour through established partnerships with local suppliers.

INBOUND TOURISM:

The traffic of international tourists spending foreign money contributing to the export economy.

INCENTIVE TOUR:

A trip offered as a prize, particularly to stimulate the productivity of employees or sales agents

INCLUSIVE TOUR:

A type of tour that includes a variety of features for a single rate eg airfare, accommodation, activities

INVOICE:

An invoice, bill or tab is a document issued by an agent to a tour operator

ITINERARY:

The travel schedule provided by a travel agent or tour operator for the client A itinerary spells out all details, including flight numbers, departure times, and similar data, as well as describing planned activities

JOINT FARE:

This is a fee that is charged to a traveler who will be taking a flight that utilizes more than one airline The joint fare is the cost for the entire flight

KEYCARD:

The keycard is often electronic, allowing them to swipe it like a credit card in order to gain access to the room. Travelers are advised to keep their keycards in a safe and secure location while they enjoy the local activities.

KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATOR (KPI):

A quantifiable measure of performance over time for a specific objective. KPIs provide targets for teams to shoot for, milestones to gauge progress, and insights that help people across the organization make better decisions

LAST ROOM AVAILABILITY (LRA):

A combination of negotiated and group rates that allow agents to book a hotel’s last available room at a contracted rate

LEISURE TRAVEL:

Travel that is done for pleasure rather than for business. Most people who are taking leisure travel tips will want to book several different tours and excursions during their trip in order to enjoy the sights, sounds and flavor of the area they are traveling to

LENGTH OF STAY (LOS):

Total nights that a guest spends with a hotel

LOAD FACTOR:

Average number of seats occupied

LOW SEASON:

Synonymous to off-peak A less popular time to visit a particular destination, often in the bad-weather months. Rates are often cheaper during the low season

LUXURY TRAVEL EXPERIENCE:

Luxury travel experiences comprise of exclusive and elite opportunities that go beyond the standard experience that is expected on a tour or activity.

MANIFEST:

Final official listing of all passengers and/or cargo aboard a transportation vehicle or vessel

MARKET ORIENTED PRICING:

A method of pricing that benchmarks prices against competitors when deciding on price

MARKET SEGMENT:

A way to identify customers and divide them into groups with different needs

MARKET SHARE:

A percentage of business within a market category

MARKUP:

The process by which a rack rate is increased in order to accommodate for an increased interest in accommodation during a certain period of time when demand is typically higher.

MASTER ACCOUNT:

The guest account for a particular group or function that will be paid by the sponsoring organization.

METRICS:

A way of measuring a certain amount of activity and results

MICE: Industry acronym for Meetings, incentives, Conference, & Exhibitions.

NET RATE:

The minimum amount that tour suppliers can sell a tourism product for and still make a profit

NET WHOLESALE RATE:

A rate usually slightly lower than the wholesale rate, applicable to groups when components are specifically mentioned in a tour brochure. The rate is marked up by wholesale sellers to cover tour costs

NO SHOW (NS):

A guest or customer with confirmed reservations who fails to arrive and does not cancel their reservation

NO-FRILLS:

A low-cost scheduled travel package based on minimising operator service and costs, which are passed to the consumer as a low price

OCCUPANCY:

A measurement used to determine the percentage of availability for a given period

OCCUPANCY FORECAST:

A prediction of occupancy for a set period that helps hotels define their business goals Usually communicated as a number of rooms or percentage of total rooms available.

OFF-PEAK:

A period in which a hotel or attraction is not in its busiest season

ON-DEMAND PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION:

Transportation services, such as taxis that do not have regular schedules

ONLINE BOOKING SYSTEM:

A reservation software that allows clients to book online directly with your company.

ONLINE TRAVEL AGENCY (OTA):

An online travel agency can be utilized by a traveler in order to book everything they need for their trip in one place.

ONLINE RESERVATION SYSTEM:

A system that allows a customer to make a reservation online and receive an immediate confirmation.

OUTBOUND TOURISM:

Residents traveling to an international destination

OUTBOUND OPERATOR:

A company which takes groups from a given city or country to another city or county

OUTBOUND TOUR:

Any tour that takes groups outside a given city or country, opposite of inbound

OVERBOOKING:

Accepting reservations for more space than is available.

OVERRIDE:

A commission over and above the normal base commission percentage.

PASSENGER MANIFEST:

A list of customers that are participating to your tour Ideally printable and mobile friendly

PACKAGE TOUR:

A combination of several travel components provided by different suppliers, which are sold to the consumer as a single product

PASSPORT:

Government document permitting a citizen to leave and re-enter the country

PAYMENT OPTIONS:

The options that a business makes available to its customers in order for them to make a payment

PAX:

Travel industry abbreviation for ' passengers. ' Often used as a count of the number of individuals or persons

PEAK SEASON:

Season or set of dates where occupancy for a hotel is at its highest.

PERISHABILITY:

The characteristic of being perishable In tourism the term is used to describe, for example, a particular hotel room on a specific night or a particular seat on a specific flight: they cannot be 'stored' and sold later, so they are perishable

POINT-OF-SALE (POS) SYSTEM:

This is a system where a computer replaces a cash register It records transactions, accepts credit and debit card data, tracks inventory and records employee hours

PORT OF ENTRY:

Point at which persons enter a country where customs and immigration services exist

PPPN: Industry acronym for per person, per night

PRPN: Industry acronym for per room, per night

PROFIT:

The excess of revenue over expenses, if expenses exceed revenues in a given period the organisation will make a loss

PROFITS PER AVAILABLE ROOM (PROPAR): A metric that calculates net revenue per available room Also known as Net RevPAR.

PROPERTY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (PMS):

This is a software for the operations of hospitality accommodations and commercial residential rental properties. PMS provides a centralized computer system to organize, schedule and perform the day-to-day functions and transactions involved in accommodations businesses.

PRIVATE RATE: An exclusive rate available to all agents

PREFERRED RATE:

An exclusive rate available to agents, tour operators have a preferred relationship with

QUARANTINE:

A period or place of isolation in which people that have arrived from elsewhere or been exposed to infectious or contagious disease are placed.

QUARANTINE-FREE TRAVEL:

Quarantine-free travel refers to the ability to travel interstate or internationally without needing to quarantine or isolate during the COVID-19 pandemic

QUALIFIED RATE:

A rate that is only offered based on qualifications such as a corporate rate or promotional package

QUOTE:

The price approximation that a business might provide to a future traveler so they can budget for the services they want when they reach their destination

QUALITY:

The degree to which a set of inherent characteristics of a product fulfils customer requirements