Glossary of tourism T,U,V,W,Y

themed tour:  a tour designed around a specific theme such as fall foliage, also a special interest tour such as an art or architecture tour

tour departure:  the date of the start by any individual or group of a tour program, also used in referral to the entire operation of that single tour

tour manager:  a person employed as the escort for a group of tourists, usually for the duration of the entire trip, perhaps supplemented by local guides.  The terms tour director, leader, escort, conductor, and (in Europe) courier have roughly the same meaning and are used interchangeably.  A person with this title is usually at a professional well-trained level.

upgrade:  to move to a better accommodation or class of service

variable cost:  a cost that changes according to how many people take a tour, such as motorcoach expenses

VATG/TVA/MWS/GST:  acronyms for value-added tax.  A tax system which adds a fixed percentage of taxation on products and services at each step of production or service delivery.  Common in Europe and Canada.

Visa:  stamp of approval recorded in a passport to enter a country for a specific purpose/time and given by the country being entered

waitlist:  list of clients awaiting transportation, accommodations or a tour at times when they are not available, confirmed as a result of subsequent cancellations

wholesaler:  a company that usually creates and markets inclusive tours and FITs for sale through travel agents.  Although the term is used as a synonym for tour operators, there are several distinctions:  (1) presumably sells nothing at retail while a tour operator often does both; (2) does not always create his/her own products, while a tour operator always does;  (3) is less inclined than a tour operator to perform local services

Yield management: Calculating and analyzing the profits earned per customer.

Glossary of tourism R-S

receptive operator:  also known as an inbound that performs local services, specialist

risk monies:  funds that an agency would not recoup should a tour not take place, such as nonrefundable deposits, promotional expenses, and printing costs

rooming list:  the list of names or passengers on a tour or other group travel program, submitted to a hotel/motel.  The names are not alphabetized as on a flight manifest, but rather room by room indicating who is rooming with whom and the type of room desired.  Twin-bedded rooms, singles and triples are usually listed in separate categories.

room service:  food or beverages served in a guest’s room

run-of-the-house rate:  flat rate for which a hotel or motel agrees to offer any of its available rooms to a group.  Final assignment of the rooms is the discretion of the hotel.

series operator:  a travel agent, wholesaler, tour operator, or broker who blocks space in advance for a series of movements over a given period of time, not necessarily on a back-to-back basis

soft adventure:  excursions prepared for passengers according to level of proficiency such as a float river trip or light hike

speed dating:  a system designed to bring together operators and suppliers (in the travel business) on a fast basis, allowing each a short amount of selling time and seeing if they are compatible for their markets

subcontractor:  a local operator who provides services for a wholesaler

surety bond:  insurance to guarantee that the insured will carry out the specific work he or she was hired to do such as in a travel agency

Glossary of tourism O-P

occupancy:  the percentage of available rooms occupied for a given period.  It is computed by dividing the number of rooms occupied for a period by the number of rooms available for the same period.

on-demand public transportation:  transportation services, such as taxicabs that do not have regular schedules

OTTA:  Oregon Tour and Travel Alliance

outbound operator:  a company which takes groups from a given city or country to another city or country

outbound tour:  any tour that takes groups outside a given city or country of origin, opposite of inbound

outfitter:  a business that provides services or equipment at a recreational facility, considered a sightseeing operator

pricing:  decision-making process of ascertaining what price to charge for a given tour, once total costs are known.  Pricing involves determining the markup, studying the competition, and evaluating the tour value for the price to be charged; function performed by the operations manager

 pax:  industry abbreviation for passengers

 peak fare, rate, or season:  highest level of charges assessed during a year

 port of entry:  point at which persons/cargo enters a country where customs and immigration services exist