Glossary

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V X Y Z

 

P

package A combination of various travel components that are sold as a single product.

package tour A combination of several travel components provided by different suppliers that are sold to the consumer as a single product at a single price.

panel A meeting in which at least two speakers give their points of view on a particular subject, followed by discussion among the speakers and the audience.

parador A Spanish castle or historic building that has been converted into a hotel.

parity price A price equal to what other organizations charge.

parity products A product that is similar to other products offered by other producers.

park A large piece of ground usually with grass and trees for public use and recreation; a sports ground and facilities.

partnerships The association of two or more buyers or sellers whereby they share expertise and resources to create products and services, commit to joint planning, and share customer, competitive, and company information for their mutual benefit and ultimately the customers'.

passenger name record (PNR) A record of a passenger's travel arrangements that is stored in a CRS.

passenger-to-crew ratio The number of passengers aboard a cruise ship divided by the number of crew.

passport A document, issued by a government, that enables people to enter a foreign country and to return to their own country.

PATA Pacific Asia Travel Association

pedestrian village An assemblage of facilities in a format that encourages walking to service, such as Intrawest has done at ski slopes.

pension A private home that has been converted into a guest house, found mainly in Europe and Latin America.

per diem A term meaning "by the day" used to indicate the amount of money budgeted each day for travel expenses.

performance bond A special type of insurance policy that guarantees payment to all parties owed any money.

personal accident insurance (PAI) Insurance offered by car rental firms that provides coverage in the case of bodily injury to the client.

points of contact Services provided by contact personnel who are usually in the front-of-the-house when they make contact; there may be a high to low degree of contact that reflects time spent, location, and quality of the service provided.

points of interception The evaluation points before, during, and after interaction with a service when service providers can influence the perception of the experience and its benefits.

point-to-point Transporting passengers from one destination to another.

portal Electronic gateways to the World Wide Web that supply a broad array of news and entertainment, information resources, and shopping services.

port tax Tax paid by passengers on embarkation at any port during a cruise.

posada A Portuguese castle or historic building that has been converted into a hotel.

preferred supplier agreement A written or implied agreement between a travel agency and a particular supplier favouring usage of that supplier.

premium service Service that exceeds what is commonly expected and provided.

press conference A meeting with media personnel to make an announcement or hold a demonstration or discussion about a topic that is newsworthy.

press release A communication tool prepared for the media by an organization to announce events, solicit coverage, issue statements, and provide background information; may be included in a press kit prepared as part of an organizations promotion strategy.

pressurization Artificial increase of air pressure in a jet cabin so that the air pressure is almost equivalent to the air pressure at ground level.

price tiers The pricing strategy initiated to position services for different market targets (e.g. Choice Hotels Comfort Inns for the economy-minded and Clarion for the luxury market).

primary items Transportation and the components within other tourism sectors sold by travel agents.

primary research Market research in which product suppliers study consumers' responses to surveys, questionnaires, and interviews.

private charter A charter that is not for sale to the general public.

private-not-for-profit leisure services subsystem The part of the leisure system that includes non-government entities not motivated by profit (e.g. youth associations, church groups, service clubs, arts councils, festival associations).

privatize To transfer control or ownership of an industry from public to private hands.

product The good , service, or idea consisting of a bundle of tangible and intangible attributes that satisfies consumers and is received in exchange for money or other unit of value.

product club Partnerships formed between businesses and the CTC to develop tourism products, build links among the tourism sectors and other businesses, and connect the club with strategic directions locally, nationally, and internationally.

product life cycle A standard marketing concept that identifies four stages in the life cycle of a product.

professional Someone who has mastered a specific body of knowledge and possesses certain skills not readily available to those outside the profession. They are usually licensed by the government to practice their profession, and may be required to demonstrate knowledge of their field by passing difficult examinations.

professional development points Points awarded by a professional association to individuals when they complete activities that contribute to their professional development.

promotion Advancing an idea, service, or business through advertising, personal selling, sales promotion, or public relations.

promotional airfare See restricted airfare.

property In the hospitality industry, any lodging facility, such as a hotel or motel.

provincial and territorial tourism organizations Organizations provincial and territorial governments use to promote their areas as tourist destinations.

psychographics Relates the activities, interests, and opinions of travellers in relation to their life stage.

public charter A charter that is open for sale to the general public, either through a travel agency or by a tour or charter operator.

public leisure services subsystem The part of the leisure system that provides recreational opportunities that enrich the well being of entire communities through public organizations, national, provincial, and municipal parks, campgrounds, zoos, arenas, museums, community halls, and public recreational facilities.

public relations A form of communication management that seeks to influence the feelings, opinions, or beliefs held by customers, shareholders, suppliers, employees, and other publics about a company and the products and services it provides.

public transportation Organized passenger service available to the general public within a small geographic area.

purchasing agreements Purchase orders and records of deliveries that help monitor what is purchased, from whom, when, and for how much, and helps to track deliveries as they arrive; contract agreeing to price and specifications for products provide quality and price controls.

pure incentive An incentive travel program designed strictly for pleasure.







Q

quad A hotel room that is shared by four people.

quality culture A culture created by firms that build quality into all their processes and see service quality as an integrated function needing input from all parts of the service organization.

quasi-experiments Field experiments that occur in natural settings where extraneous variables or the experimental treatments cannot be controlled.

quasi-public promoters Not-for-profit, non-government agencies that promote the advancement of tourism as an activity and as an industry.



R

rack rate The standard day rate for a hotel room.

rebate Cash returned to a purchaser after a purchase has been made.

receptive operator A travel professional who specializes in arranging tours for visitors from other countries.

recreation The activities that people pursue in their leisure time.

recreational tourism Tourism that provides refreshment of strength and spirits after work; a means of diversion.

redundancy The state of serving no useful purpose.

referral group Consortia, affiliations, or voluntary chains, also called referral groups, are a group of independent hotels that have joined together in an association based upon specific criteria for membership.

referral system The system established by referral groups to establish marketing advantages such as: toll-free reservations number, referral of business, discounts on credit card fees, and purchasing advantages; less expensive to join than a chain and a hotel may be a member of more than one group.

regional airline An airline, either by choice or regulation, serving one area of a country.

regional visitors Visitors from within four hours' drive of a destination

repositioning cruise A cruise organized to transfer a ship from one cruising area to another between seasons.

reregulation The reintroduction of government controls over an industry that has been deregulated.

research Systematic search for information and study to discover facts about reality that can guide decisions and solve problems.

reservations Booking spaces for a function or a guest rooms at a facility in advance of a specific date.

reservations agent The person(s) who respond to requests from travellers and co-ordinate the bookings and rates for an operation; the function may occur in-house as well as through a CRS (Central Reservation System).

residential accommodations A hotel that caters to guests who are permanent residents.

resort hotel A hotel located in a place where people go to spend a vacation.

restricted airfare A less expensive airfare that includes certain restrictions, such as advance purchase requirements, minimum/maximum length of stay, nonrefundable cancellation penalties, etc.

retailer distributor A member of the channel of distribution selling products/services to consumers, either traditional retail stores (travel agency) or wholesalers.

retail sales to tourists Products and services sold directly to consumers.

retreat A small meeting usually held in a remote location to foster bonding, facilitate intensive planning sessions, or simply provide an opportunity to refocus.

rifle approach In advertising, the use of small-circulation media to produce a high percentage of leads.

risk management A method of considering the safety and security of guests and employees, as well as personal and real property.

round trip A journey that begins in one city, goes to another city, and ends in the originating city.

runway A strip of land on which airplanes land and from which they take off.