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Home > Tourism > Tourism - Sales/Office operations (240 hours) > Core > Access and interpret product information > Access and Interpret product information

Key terms and concepts

NOTE: Where a term is shown in bold a full explanation of that term has also been included in the Key terms and concepts.

Term	Definition
Abbreviations and acronyms	The tourism industry is full of common tourism abbreviations and acronyms, eg. 3 letter city codes, operator codes, PP, PR, TWN, SGL.
Accreditation	The official approval for a travel agency or tour wholesaler to issue documentation for a particular principal.
Adjacent rooms	Rooms in accommodation that are on opposite sides of a hallway.
Adjoining rooms	Rooms in accommodation that are next to each other.
Agents’ commission	Commission is the money paid to a travel agency for selling a product or service. It is calculated as either a percentage of the total sale, eg 10%, or a dollar amount. The commission to be paid to an agent is a part of the commercial agreement that agents have with principals and suppliers.
Amendment	Any change made to travel arrangements. Fees may be incurred as a result of amendments.
American breakfast	An American breakfast is commonly classified as a hot breakfast. It often consists of toast with bacon and/or sausages, eggs and sometimes fried tomatoes, mushrooms etc.
American plan	Accommodation that includes three meals per day. A European plan is the opposite, that is, it does not include any meals. See also Modified American Plan.
Attractions	Places of interest to tourists. It is important to note that there are two distinctly different types: 1) natural, eg Uluru, the Great Barrier Reef 2) man-made, eg the Sydney Harbour Bridge, Sea World.
Audiovisual equipment	Equipment required to view/show promotional tourism DVD’s/videos.
Availability	When a traveller wants to make a booking it is necessary to first check the dates that the product or service is available. This is called checking availability.
Bed and Breakfast B&B’s	A small and intimate type of accommodation that includes breakfast. B&B’s are often family-run accommodation businesses that offer a small number of comfortable rooms in the family home.
BBR Bank Buying Rate	The rate at which a bank or money exchange shop will buy foreign currency.
BSR Bank Selling Rate	The rate at which a bank or money exchange shop will sell foreign currency.
Booking and confirmation procedures	The procedures required to book tourism products, eg deposit amount and due date (usually required within seven days of confirmation) and date final payment is due (usually 30-60 days prior to departure date).
Booking conditions	Same as Conditions of Sale. These are the conditions of the holiday booking, eg. payment conditions, cancellation fees, liability exclusions etc.
Booking form	This is a form that travellers are sometimes asked to complete prior to travel. It is supplied by the tour operator/wholesaler/travel agency and forms part of the contract of sale. The traveller is usually asked to provide some personal details/requests and to sign the form.
Brochures	Brochures contain information on a tourism destination or a particular product. There are millions of different travel brochures available in many different formats. Brochures are an excellent source of tourism information. Tourism industry staff need to be able to access and interpret this information for customers.
Cancellation procedures	The procedures that must be followed in the event of a cancellation. This will include any fees that will be charged and can be found on the booking conditions page of any tourism product.
Car rental	Cars that tourists can hire to drive themselves around. Examples of car rental firms include Hertz, Budget, Avis etc.
City pair	The origin and destination cities in one (1) sector of travel, eg. the city pair for travel from Sydney to Brisbane would be Sydney and Brisbane.
Code share	When airlines lease a number of seats on another airline’s flight. Airlines code share when they do not have the rights or number of passengers required to operate their own aircraft on a particular route.
Consulates	Consulates or embassies control the rules and regulations for entering foreign countries as a tourist, for business or to study. Some, but not all, consulates state that they must grant visitors a visa prior to travel for a fee. Travel industry staff often access and interpret visa information to for customers. TRAVCOUR is the name of the firm travel agencies use for visa information and issuance. The Smart Traveller website is however a public site that provides links to all foreign consulates/embassies for visa information.
Computer reservation system (CRS)	A computer system that links travel agencies to a central computer where they can book flights, hotels and hire cars. Examples of CRS systems found in travel agencies are Galileo, Sabre and Amadeus.
Commercial agreements	Also commonly known as preferred product agreements. The agreements are between principals/ suppliers and tour wholesalers/travel agencies with regards to sales targets, levels of commission and incentives. Where such an agreement exists with a supplier, the travel agency receives higher agent’s commission levels for selling that supplier’s products in preference to other similar products.
Conditions of sale	See Booking Conditions
Continental breakfast	Commonly classified as a cold breakfast. A continental breakfast can consist of coffee and juice with cereal and/or toast, muffins, donuts or pastries.
Contract of sale	The contract of sale is a legal agreement that includes all of the booking conditions that apply when a booking is made.
Currency facilities	These are places where travellers can obtain and exchange travellers’ cheques and foreign currency. They could be major banks or specialist currency exchange shops like Thomas Cook and Travelex.
Contract rates	Special rates that have been negotiated between a supplier and a tour wholesaler/travel agency.
Costings	Prices for tourism packages.
Departure dates	The set dates that tours leave.
Deposit	The amount of money that a client must pay to secure the reservation of a tourism product. Deposit amounts vary however the exact amount can be found in the booking conditions for each product.
Deposit conditions	When the deposit must be paid, commonly within seven days of the reservation being confirmed.
Destination city	The city where a sector of travel ends, eg when travelling from Sydney to Brisbane, Brisbane is the destination city. Sydney is the origin city.
Embassy	See Consulates.
Enterprise policy	The policy of a company in regards to the way it operates its business, eg booking and confirmation policies, refund policy, amendment policy etc.
European Plan	Accommodation that does not include any meals.
Exclusions	Products or services not included in a packaged holiday.
Final payment	The balance owing on a holiday after a deposit has been paid.
Final payment conditions	When the final payment must be paid. Some products require instant payment while others may require final payment four to six weeks prior to travel.
FIT –Free independent traveller	A traveller who is not part of a group tour. They may however pre book accommodation, transport and sightseeing as part of their own itinerary.
Flier	Fliers are used to advertise a destination or tourism product. Fliers are published on a single page and used to promote special deals.
Foreign Currency	The currency of a country other than the country you are in.
Franchise	Many travel agencies today belong to franchise groups such as Harvey World Travel, Jetset-Travelworld and Flight Centres. The benefit for the agencies is stronger buying power, group advertising and brand awareness.
Frequent Flyer program	A membership program that rewards travellers for flying with one particular airline and its affiliated airlines. Points earned can be redeemed for free flights and upgrades.
Government tourism authorities	Government organisations that look after tourism for a country, state or territory. They promote tourism in their destination areas through marketing campaigns and providing information about travelling within the destination. These organisations are an excellent source of destination information.
Gross price	The selling price to the traveller. Agent’s Commission or mark ups have already been added into the gross price.
Group tour	This is a prepaid tour where all group members travel together on a preset itinerary.
Hostels	Hostels are a low cost and simple form of accommodation. Facilities are usually very basic, eg bed, alarm clock and maybe a TV. Many rooms do not have their own private facilities. Hostels are popular with backpackers and many are aimed directly at the youth market.
Hotels	A form of accommodation that can be small, medium or large in size. Hotels are different to motels in that they are licensed to sell alcohol and have bars, restaurants or bistros and entertainment facilities. Large hotels usually belong to chains, eg Sheraton, Novotel etc.
Incentive	A reward given for selling a particular product or service. Rewards can be extra commission or prizes. There are usually a number of conditions that apply.
Inclusions	Products or services included in a packaged holiday.
Interconnecting rooms	Rooms that are next to each other and have an interconnecting door between them.
International driving permit	A permit that allows international tourists to drive in other countries. The NRMA provides the information on the countries that require a permit and issues the permits for a nominal fee.
Inventory control database	A computerised database that lists and details the amount of tourism product that a company has on its books in total, what it has sold and what it still has available for sale.
Legal obligations	The legal responsibilities tourism employees have when selling tourism products to consumers. Common legal obligations are to advise booking conditions and to recommend travel insurance to cover travellers in the event of an unforseen incident.
Local currency	The currency of the country a traveller is travelling to.
Local community tourism authorities	Every council area in Australia has a local tourism authority often run in conjunction with Visitor Information centres. Local tourism authorities look after the development and promotion/advertising of tourism products in their local community and are an excellent source of information about local tourism products.
Mark up	The dollar or percentage amount tour wholesalers or travel agencies add to a net price to make a profit.
Meeting/convention facilities	Meeting and convention facilities range from function rooms in hotels which are used for company meetings, weddings etc to large facilities especially designed for conventions/expos and exhibitions like the Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre at Darling Harbour. This sector of the industry is commonly referred to as the MICE industry.
Meet and greet services	When a representative of a tour company meets and greets it customers to welcome them. Tour companies often ‘meet and greet’ their customers at the airport before they transfer them to their hotel.
MICE	This acronym represents the Meetings and Events Industry and stands for: Meetings Incentives Conventions Exhibitions.
Modified American Plan	Accommodation that includes 2 meals per day.
Motels	This form of accommodation is different to hotels because the restaurant (if they have one) is usually the only place that is licensed to sell alcohol. Motels are usually smaller and have fewer facilities than hotels. Examples of major motel chains in Australia are Flag Inns and Golden Chain Motels.
National government tourism authorities	The term National means Australia wide. Australia’s National government tourism body is known as the Australian Tourism Commission (ATC). The ATC looks after the development of tourism products and the promotion/advertising of Australia as a TDR to Australians as well as the international market. The ATC is an excellent source of information for tourism products in Australia.
Net price	The amount the travel agency pays to the principal or supplier after they have deducted their agency commission.
Net/net price	The amount the tour wholesaler or tour operator pays to its principals or suppliers after they deduct their mark-up.
Optional extras	Extra cost ‘non compulsory’ products or services that a traveller can choose to select whilst on a group tour.
Origin city	The city where a sector of travel begins, eg when travelling from Sydney to Brisbane, Sydney is the origin city.
Orientation tour	A tour that familiarises tourists with the layout of a TDR. Tourists do not disembark from the coach during an orientation tour. Major attractions and places of interest are simply pointed out.
Override commission	Bonus agency commission paid for additional sales. Bonus commission is often used as an incentive for agents to sell more.
Overseas government tourism authorities	Many overseas/international governments have tourism authorities similar to Australia’s own National government tourism authority. They look after the development of tourism products and the promotion/advertising of country as a TDR to Australians and to the rest of the world. They are an excellent source of information for tourism products in their TDR.
Package tour	A combination of a variety of pre-arranged tourism product reservations for an individual or group.
Passport	An international travel identification document issued by a passport office to identify the travellers’ country of residence. Passports are required for international travel. Tourism industry staff need to be able to identify different types of passports and interpret the information contained in them.
Per person (PP)	The cost for each person travelling.
Per room (PR)	The cost for each room. This rate is often divided by the total number of people sharing a room to obtain the per person cost.
Preferred product agreements	See commercial agreements.
Principal	The owner of a product or service. Owners can be companies or individuals. Also commonly referred to as suppliers.
Private facilities	Private facilities mean that a room has its own bathroom or ensuite.
Product codes	Codes given to individual products in a brochure. The codes are used when making reservations in computer systems.
Product manual	A manual detailing information about a particular tourism product such as a hotel, airline or cruise ship.
Promotional material	Promotional material can include brochures, videos, CD-ROM’S, posters, special fliers and show bags filled with company hats, coffee mugs, rulers, stickers etc.
Quotes or quotations	The prices travel industry staff research and prepare for customers. Professional quotations should be typed and a copy given to the customer outlining the prices and all relevant booking conditions.
Rack rates	The full undiscounted cost that a principal charges for its products or services.
Rates	The price/cost of tourism products or services, eg the rate per night for accommodation or the rate per day for car hire.
Rate of exchange	The rate at which the bank or money exchange shop converts foreign currency, eg. BBR and BSR.
Reservation data	Personal information about a client and their travel arrangements such as name, contact details and travel booking details.
Room configurations	Accommodation room configurations come in a variety of ways, eg twin beds = 2 beds, but twin share= 2 people in double/Queen or king bed, triple share= 3 people, quad share = 4 people etc.
Sales kit	A kit of information on a destination or tourism product. A sales kit may include maps, brochures, CD’s etc.
Schedules	Set dates and times when tourism products depart origin cities and arrive to destination cities. They are also commonly referred to as timetables.
Seasonal availability	When tourism products are only available at certain times of the year. There are often low and high demand seasons as well.
Seasonal factors	Changes of season, eg Spring, Summer, Autumn; Winter can have an impact on a traveller’s holiday. Travellers will require information about seasonal factors before they travel. Seasonal factors will also often affect the cost of travel as well.
Sightseeing tour	A tour that takes in popular tourist attractions in a TDR.
Single Room (SGL)	When a room is sold for one occupant.
Single Supplement (SGL SUP)	An extra amount paid for sole/single use of a room.
Special events	Popular events like The Australian Open in Melbourne for Tennis, the Indy Grand Prix or a rock concert.
Special offers	Special offers are packages that are offered for sale only for a short period of time. Some specials offer a discounted price while others are based on the normal cost with extra items included for free during the validity of the special offer.
Specifications of service providers	The booking conditions detail the specifications of service providers. The specifications may include: deposit and final payment conditions, inclusions, exclusions, room configurations, rates, tariffs, seasonal factors, taxes etc.
Sporting/entertainment tickets	Tickets to major sporting or entertainment events, eg State of Origin and major theatre productions like Phantom of the Opera etc. Bookings for such events need to be made in advance and many customers like these to be included in holiday packages.
State government tourism authorities	Every state and territory in Australia has its own tourism authority. They look after the development and promotion/advertising of tourism for that state/territory, eg Tourism NSW and the Queensland Travel Authority. Tourism authorities are an excellent source of information for tourism products.
Supplier	The owner of a product or service. Owners can be companies or individuals. Also commonly referred to as principals.
Tariffs	Tariff is a special name to rates/prices given for accommodation products.
Taxes	Government fees charged on top of tourism products and services, eg airport taxes, bed taxes etc. Customers need to be advised which taxes apply to their bookings. This is a legal obligation.
Timetables	See schedules.
Three (3) letter city codes	Three letter city codes are given to every major city and airport in the world, eg Sydney’s 3-letter code is SYD and Los Angeles is LAX. NOTE: codes are always written in CAPITAL letters and cities with more than one airport may have more than one code. These codes are used in CRS systems and on client files however they must be decoded on any written information given to a client.
Travel agency	Travel agencies are retail outlets for the sale of travel products. Many travel agencies belong to franchise chain groups such as Harvey World Travel, Jetset-Travelworld and Flight Centre.
Travel insurance	Insurance taken out to protect travellers in the event of any unforseen incidents. Travel insurance covers things such as cancellation fees, medical costs, lost baggage.
Tourist Destination Region (TDR)	A popular area for tourists to visit.
Tour guide	An experienced and knowledgeable tourism industry person who travels with a group tour to look after the various needs of the group.
Tour operator	A company that packages and operates tours itself, eg AAT Kings.
Tour wholesaler	A company that produces brochures with a variety of different travel products/services in them. They can sell through travel agencies or some also sell direct to the traveller.
Transfers	Transport from one point to another. The most common is to/from airport to accommodation.
Travellers’ cheques	A safe way to carry large amount of money when travelling overseas. Travellers’ cheques can be issued in a variety of foreign currencies.
Triple reduction	A per person discount given if three people occupy a room instead of the usual two.
Triple Room (TRP)	A room that has bedding to sleep 3 people.
Twenty four (24) hour clock	Where time is counted in 24 hours instead of AM or PM, eg 12.00pm is 1200 hours and 1.00pm is 1300 hours. This is the system used for communication in the travel and tourism industry. Times do, however, need to be converted to 12-hour clock (AM & PM) for many clients.
Twin Share (TWN)	When two people share a room they are often quoted a twin share cost that is charged per person.
Two (2) letter operator codes	Every airline, coach, hotel and car hire firm have a 2-letter operator code, eg the 2-letter code for Qantas is QF and Greyhound Coaches is GX. These codes are used in CRS systems and on client files however they must be decoded on any written information given to a client.
Validity	The time that a rate, quote, special offer or brochure is valid for.
Visa for travel	An official stamp or leaflet allowing a traveller to enter a country where a visa is required for entry. Visas are obtained from the applicable foreign consulate or embassy.

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