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.