3S destinations
sun, sea, and sand destinations
70–20–10 rule
approximately 70% of an employee’s growth comes from on-the-job training, 20% comes through mentoring and coaching, and 10% comes through formal training classes
Accreditation
officially recognizing another as being qualified to perform a particular activity
Acid rain
rainfall made sufficiently acidic by atmospheric pollution that it causes environmental harm
Adaptancy platform
promotes low-impact tourism development that can reduce negative impacts
Advocacy platform
sees tourism as a good thing and celebrates tourism’s positive impacts on the economy and cross-cultural understandings
Airbnb
a website that allows travelers to find low-budget informal accommodation in the prospective destination
Alternative development
development that emanates from, and is guided by, the needs of individual societies
Alternative tourism
tourism that is appropriate to the local environment, social, and cultural values, and that optimizes local decision-making, enhances the local economy, and promotes meaningful encounters between tourists and the local community
Alternative tourist
a visitor who generally enjoys meeting new people, expects to learn something new when they travel, appreciates a wide range of activities, seeks out challenges, is concerned with social issues, and embraces change
Altruism
the belief in or practice of disinterested and selfless concern for the well-being of others
Anthropocentrism
the philosophy that humans are the sole bearers of intrinsic environmental value, and all other living things are there to sustain humanity’s existence
ART
stands for audience, resource, and technology as a way to provide effective interpretation
Attribute
a descriptive quality that a visitor believes a destination or business has, such as physical characteristics, like beaches, nightclubs, or outstanding food choices
Awarding body
the agency that sets the standards for the award and promotes it to the public
Backward linkage
a channel through which information, material, and money flow between a company and its suppliers
Balance sheet
contains an organization’s assets, liabilities, and owners’ equity
Behavioral segmentation
splits consumers into groups according to their observed behaviors
Benchmarking
the process of comparing a business’s process and performance metrics to industry best practices from other companies; it can be used to track performance over time
Benefit
the personal values each visitor attaches to each attribute
Bonding social capital
social networks made up of homogeneous groups of people
Brand
a unique name, term, sign, symbol, design, or combination of these that identifies the good or services of one seller or group of sellers and differentiates them from the competition
Brexit vote
the vote by the United Kingdom to leave the European Union
Bridging social capital
social networks made up of socially heterogeneous groups that include people with different backgrounds
Built capital
any pre-existing or planned formation that is constructed or retrofitted to suit community needs
Business marketing
marketing the actual products, services, or experiences that a single business entity offers
Capacity building
a process that supports only the initial stages of building or creating capacities and assumes that there are no existing capacities at the start
Capacity development
the process through which individuals, organizations, and societies obtain, strengthen, and maintain the capabilities to set and achieve their own development objectives over time
Capital
factors of production that generate wealth through investment
Capitalism
an economic and political system in which a country’s trade and industry are controlled by private owners for profit, rather than by the state
Carrying capacity
the amount of use any given land or environment can endure over time without degrading its suitability for that use
Carrying capacity in tourism
the maximum number of people that may visit a tourist destination at the same time, without causing destruction of the physical, economic, socio-cultural environment and an unacceptable decrease in the quality of visitors’ satisfaction
Cash flow statement
shows how changes in balance sheet and income affect cash and cash equivalents, and breaks the analysis down to operating, investing, and financing activities
Cautionary platform
views tourism as a bad thing because of its negative impacts
Certification
a type of label indicating that compliance with standards has been verified by an outside agency
Climate change
a change in the statistical distribution of extreme weather patterns when that change lasts for an extended period of time
Colonization
action of appropriating a place or domain for one’s own use and establishing control over the indigenous people of an area
Commodification
the transformation of goods, services, ideas, and people into commodities, or objects of trade
Communication
conveying information or evoking understanding
Community development
a process where community members come together to take collective action and generate solutions to common problems
Community-based tourism
a collaborative approach to tourism in which community members exercise control through active participation in the appraisal, development, management, and/or ownership of enterprises that delivers net socio-economic benefits to community members, conserves natural and cultural resources, and adds value to the experiences of local and foreign visitors
Comparative advantage
when countries specialize in the production and export of the goods which they can produce relatively less expensively than other countries because they possess specific resources, such as labor, capital, and land
Competition-oriented pricing
the practice of setting prices based on the prices of other comparable businesses
Congestion-related pricing system
a system of offering cheaper prices for periods of low visitation and more expensive ones for peak periods
Conservation
the principle that the environment and its resources should be used by humans and managed in a responsible manner
Consortium
an association of two or more companies with the objective of pooling their resources to achieve a common goal
Constant pattern
a graphical pattern that occurs when there is no net increase or decrease over time
Cost-based pricing
price is determined by calculating the cost of production plus a per-unit profit margin on each item sold
Cost–benefit analysis
a technique used to determine the desirability of proposed projects by quantifying and calculating their relevant costs and benefits
Criteria
the standards established for a certification to be awarded to a business
Crowd sourcing
a financial model in which individuals or organizations solicit investment from a large, relatively open, and often rapidly-evolving, group of internet users
Crowding
when visitors perceive too many people in an area, spoiling the atmosphere, ambiance, or user experience
Cultural capital
the stock of values, arts, crafts, cultural knowledge, performance, social practices, and access to heritage resources
Cultural heritage
the legacy of physical artefacts and intangible attributes of a group or society that are inherited from past generations, maintained in the present, and bestowed for the benefit of future generations
Cultural tourism
a traveler’s engagement with a country or region’s culture, specifically the lifestyle of the people in those geographical areas, the history of those people, their art, architecture, religion(s), and other elements that helped shape their way of life
Customer satisfaction
generated by providing an experience (tourism product) that meets or exceeds the customer’s expectations
Cyber-attack
any attempt to expose, alter, disable, destroy, steal, or gain unauthorized access to or make unauthorized use of computers and computer networks
Demand-oriented pricing
price is based on consumers’ willingness to pay
Demarketing
a way to decrease demand for a certain product or experience
Demographic segmentation
divides consumers into categories such as age, income, race, family size, and socioeconomic status
Destination marketing
marketing for a specific location that generally includes all activities, sights, and tourism businesses in a destination
Destination marketing and management organization (DMO)
an organization that represents destinations and helps to develop long-term travel and tourism strategies
Direct effect
a change in local economic activity resulting from businesses selling directly to tourists
Discount rate
the rate of return used to discount future cash flows
Distribution channel
the chain of businesses or intermediaries through which a good or service passes until it reaches the end consumer
Diversity
recognizing that each individual is unique and appreciating those differences
Downstream activities
all selling activities such as tour operators and concessionaires
Dual pricing system
a pricing system where tourists pay a higher price than locals
Ecocentrism
the philosophy that there is inherent worth to all living things regardless of their usefulness to humans
Economic capacity
the level of acceptable change within the local economy of a tourist destination that is described as the point at which the increased revenue brought by tourism development is overtaken by the inflation caused by tourism
Economic dependency
an unending situation in which economies and economic agents rely on one aspect or thing in order to be successful
Economic development
the process by which a nation improves the economic, political, and social well-being of its people
Economic growth
the increase in value of goods and services produced per person, or at an aggregate level, by an economy from one year to another
Economic leakage
revenue, in the form of payments to tour companies and hotels that does not stay in the economy where visitation occurs
Economies of scale
a proportionate saving in costs gained by an increased level of production
Ecotourism
low impact nature-based tourism which contributes to the maintenance of species and habitats either directly through a contribution to conservation and/or indirectly by providing enough revenue to the local community for local people to value, and therefore protect their wildlife heritage area as a source of income
Education
a form of learning in which the knowledge, skills, and habits of a group of people are transferred from one generation to the next through teaching, training, or research
Employee engagement
the emotional commitment that employees demonstrate towards upholding the mission and values of the company
Employee turnover rate
the percentage of employees who leave an organization over a certain period of time (typically, one year)
Empowerment
the process of becoming stronger and more confident, especially in controlling one’s life and claiming one’s rights
Endangered species
a type of organism that is threatened by extinction
Environmental capital
includes natural capital, other natural assets, such as weather, and built capital
Environmental scanning
the process of monitoring the external environment
Environmentalism
a social movement that is based on political and ethical views of the environment
Excursionist (also known as a day-tripper)
a traveler that lives in close proximity to a destination and only stays for a short visit
Expectations
strong beliefs that something will happen which are derived from the need to fulfill a goal that has some intrinsic value or attractiveness
Exponential pattern
a graphical pattern that indicates that data is rising at an increasing rate over time
External cost
a cost to society, regardless of who pays for it
Factors of production
the inputs that are used in the production of goods or services in order to make an economic profit. The factors of production include land, labor, capital, and entrepreneurship
Fair pricing
ensuring that the revenue earned from the product or service is equitably shared between the producer, the supply chain, and the end seller
Financial capital
financial wealth that is used to start or maintain a business
Focal companies
companies in the supply chain, with direct contact to end customers, and having bargain power over other actors in the supply chain
Focus group
a group of two or more people who are answering the interview questions simultaneously
Food tourism
the desire to experience a particular type of food or the produce of a specific region while traveling
Foreign exchange
the money earned from the export of goods or services and the receipt of foreign currency
Free trade
policies that seek to eliminate government-imposed barriers to trade
Funding body
the organization that pays to develop and run a certification program
Futures studies (“futures”)
the formal and systematic study of possible, probable, and preferable futures, and of methods of foresight development for individuals, groups, and human society
Gateway community
a community neighboring a national park or nature area
Genetic variation
the diversity found within a species
Geographic segmentation
separates markets according to physical location criteria
Global village
the world characterized by instant communication, the proliferation of trans-national corporations, and the pervasive influence of mass media and popular cultural trends from the West
Globalization
the process by which people and goods move easily across borders
Globalization from below
globalization that is regulated by the local governance institutions
Glocalization
the practice of conducting business according to both local and global considerations
Goal
an envisioned future state that people commit to achieving
Governance
the ways in which society allocates, controls, and coordinates resources
Green economy
an economy that results in improved human well-being and social equity, while significantly reducing environmental risks and ecological scarcities
Green management
the actual practice of employing sustainability production techniques
Green marketing
the communication of sustainable practices to consumers, whether these practices are real or not
Greenhouse gas
a gas that enters the earth’s atmosphere and traps heat, causing a warming of the atmosphere
Greening
the act of becoming more aware and attempting to mitigate the environmental consequences of economic activities
Greenwashing
the act of misleading consumers regarding the environmental practices of a company or the environmental benefits of a product or service
Horizontal collaboration
collaboration between firms in the same level of the tourism supply chain
Human capital
the stock of knowledge, habits, social and personality attributes, including creativity, embodied in the ability to perform labor so as to produce economic value
Human capital management
the process of acquiring, training, managing, and retaining employees
Human resource management (HRM)
the management and professional development of employees within an organization
Human resources
the people who make up the workforce of an organization, business sector, or economy
Imperialism
a policy of extending a country’s power and influence through diplomacy or military force
Inclusion
the act of harnessing diversity for the benefit of improving decision-making and growth
Inclusive tourism
travel designed for people with disabilities
Income statement
shows the net return of a business, its revenue minus its expenses, or its profit
Indirect effect
a change in sales, income, or employment within a region in industries supplying goods and services to tourism businesses
Induced effect
a change in expenditures within a region as a result of household spending of the income earned in tourism and supporting industries
Institutional knowledge
the collection of historical knowledge and wisdom that is retained by employees and the analytical skills necessary for its effective use within the organization
Intangible culture
the practices and representations of artifacts, objects, and cultural spaces
Integrated waste management plan
a working document that outlines the process of managing waste that is created, implementing disposal methods that reduce harm to the environment, and waste reduction methods, such as reusing, recycling, and composting
Interpretation
an educational activity, which aims to reveal meanings and relationships through the use of original objects, by first-hand experience, and by illustrative media, rather than simply communicate factual information
Interpretation intensity
a comparison of quantity and type of interpretation between sites
Isolationism
a national policy of avoiding political or economic entanglements with other countries
Knowledge worker
workers who apply theoretical and analytical knowledge, acquired through formal training, to develop products and services
Knowledge-based platform
views tourism from a holistic perspective, through the critical analysis of the underlying structures of tourism rather than just its impacts
Last chance tourism
when tourists increasingly seek to experience the world’s most endangered sites before they vanish or are permanently transformed
Laws
the system of rules designed to regulate behavior
Leakage
when consumer goods and services are imported from abroad or when tourism revenue leaves an economy
Linear pattern
a graphical pattern that occurs when there is a steady increase or decrease in numbers over time
Lobbying
the process of trying to persuade elected officials to take particular actions or change certain laws
Localism
the belief in and expression of the unique character of localities
Locavist
a person that travels closer to home and invests locally in their communities with money, time, and personal energy
Locavore
a person whose diet consists only or principally of locally grown or produced food
Logrolling
the practice whereby two or more legislators agree to trade votes for bills that they each would like to see passed
LOHAS (Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability)
a social and economic movement that reflects a marketplace of goods and services that is immersed in meaningful person values of self as well as the social and natural world
Market segmentation
the activity of dividing a broad consumer base, normally consisting of existing and potential customers, into sub-groups of consumers (known as segments) based on some type of shared characteristics
Marketing
the activities of a company associated with buying and selling a product or service, which include advertising, selling, and delivering products to people
Marketing mix
a combination of factors that can be controlled by a company to influence consumers to purchase its products which consists of four primary elements: product, distribution, price, and promotion
Mass tourism
the aggressive development of standardized travel packages that result in tens of thousands of visitors going to the same destination
Materiality
determines which topics, or significant impacts, are relevant and important
Megatrend
a significant, globally relevant, social, economic, political, environmental, and technological change over the long-term
Micro finance
the lending of small amounts of money at low interest to new businesses, generally but not exclusively, in the developing world. Also known as micro credit
Microbrewery
a brewery that produces a volume of less than 15,000 barrels of beer, and sells at least 70% of it to locations off-site
Mindfulness
caring about the world around us
Mindfulness model
the process of developing mindful visitors
Mission statement
a written statement of a company’s purpose and values, which informs the company’s decision-making and trade-off to both members of the company and the external community
Motivation
the desire or willingness to do something or go somewhere to fulfill specific needs
Multilateral agreement
a treaty between three or more sovereign states that stipulates established guidelines that participating nations mutually agreed upon
Multinational company
a company whose base of operation is found in a specific country, but who has subsidiaries in two or more other countries
Nationalism
the identification with one’s own nation and support for its interests, especially to the exclusion or detriment of the interests of other nations
Natural capital
the world’s stock of natural resources, which includes geology, soils, air, water, and all living organisms
Nature-based tourism
any tourism activities that involve the use of natural areas
Neolocalism (new localism)
a renewed interest in preserving and promoting the identity of a community and restoring aspects that make it culturally unique
Net present value
a measure of discounted future cash inflows and outflows in present day monetary terms
Niche tourism
specific tourism products that are tailored to meet the needs of a particular audience or market segment
Non-renewable resources
resources that take millions of years to form and cannot be renewed in a human lifetime
Objective
the measurable step taken to achieve a goal
Onboarding plan
a plan that establishes employment goals and enables new employees to learn how to be successful in their role
Opportunity cost
the loss of potential gain from other alternatives when one alternative is chosen
Overtourism
too many visitors to a particular destination
Paradigm
a system of concepts, values, perceptions, and practices shared by a society, which forms a particular vision of reality or a worldview
Parity pricing
setting the price equal to the competition
Penetration pricing
setting the price lower than the competition
Performance objective
a goal that seeks to improve the employee’s ability to excel at their current job
Physical capacity
the maximum number of individuals that an area is able to support
Poaching
illegal hunting
Policy
a definitive course of action that determines present and future decisions
Political capital
the ability to use power in support of political or economic positions
Politics
the process of making decisions that apply to members of a group
Premium pricing
setting the price higher than the competition
Preservation
the principle that lands and their natural resources should not be consumed by humans and should instead be maintained in their pristine form
Primary data
data collected to address specific problems, or to investigate specific tourism trends
Private cost
the cost the firm pays to purchase capital equipment, hire labor, and buy materials or other inputs
Private sector
the part of an economy that invests in profit-making businesses, such as hotel accommodations, restaurants, and entertainment (private industries)
Professional goal
a goal that seeks to further the employee’s career advancement
Pro-poor tourism
tourism that generates net benefits for the poor
Protectionism
the policy of protecting domestic industries against foreign competition through the use of quotas, subsidies, and tariffs
Psychographic segmentation
separates consumers by lifestyle choices, including their activities, interests, and opinions
Public sector
the part of an economy that is under government control, financed through tax revenue, and provides services for all members of society (public services)
Regulation
a policy tool that governs how laws are enforced and the penalties for violation
Renewable energy
energy that is collected from renewable resources, which are naturally replenished on a human timescale, such as sunlight, wind, rain, tides, waves, and geothermal heat
Renewable resources
resources that are replenished naturally and can be used repeatedly
Reverse logistics
the process of transporting goods and services backward along the supply chain, such as returned or defective products, or the disposal of waste
Rural tourism
a country experience which encompasses a wide range of attractions and activities that take place in agricultural or non-urban areas
Rural-to-urban migration
when people seek employment and income opportunities in industrialized areas
Safety plan
actions and procedures designed to avoid dangerous situations
Satisfaction
providing an experience (tourism product) that meets or exceeds the customer’s expectations
Saturation
when interviewees are repeating information uncovered in previous interviews and when no new knowledge is being acquired
Scenario writing
the process of creating alternative hypothetical futures relating to particular circumstances that could alter demand in the future
Secondary data
data collected, analyzed, and presented to answer different questions or to solve different problems than those the data was originally collected to investigate
Secularism
the principle of separation of the state from religious institutions
Security plan
a document that defines roles and responsibilities, policies and procedures in the event of security incidents
Sense of place
what sets a place (destination) apart from others, and invokes strong feelings in people who live there or travel there as tourists
Service worker
a worker whose primary task is the serving of customer needs
Silk Road
a network of routes linking regions of Asia and Europe in the ancient world that was established by the Han Dynasty of China
Site hardening
constructing facilities and locating trails and roads to reduce the impacts of visitors on sensitive soils and vegetation, and to help meet the visitors’ needs for usable access
Slow cities
a development strategy that promotes the slow philosophy to urban living by providing a political agenda of local distinctiveness within urban development
Slow tourism
a philosophy of travelling that allows visitors to experience the authentic side of a destination by spending an extended amount of time in one area
Social capacity
the maximum level of visitation an area can sustain before visitor enjoyment is reduced and increased social ills result
Social capital
the links, shared values, and understandings that enable individuals and groups in a society to trust one another and so work together
Social cost
the combination of private costs and external costs of production
Social indicator
a direct and valid statistical measure which monitors levels and changes over time in a fundamental social concern
Social norm
an informal understanding that governs the behavior of members of a society or business
Stakeholder
an entity or individual that can reasonably be expected to be significantly affected by the organization’s activities, products, or services
Standard
a technical specification or other precise criteria to be used consistently as rules, guidelines, or definitions, to ensure that materials, products, processes, and services are complying with best practice
Stated data
data that reflect what respondents say they will do, which may or may not be what they actually do
Strong sustainability
the idea that the existing stock of natural capital must be maintained and enhanced because the functions it performs cannot be duplicated through technological advancements
Substitutability
the interchangeability of activities and experiences by varying one or more of the following: the timing of the experience, the means of gaining access to the experience, the setting, and the activity
Sustainable consumption
the use of goods and related products which bring a better quality of life to those who produce them, while minimizing the use of natural resources, toxic materials, waste, and pollutants over the product life cycle, so as not to jeopardize the needs of future generations
Sustainable development
meeting current human development goals while at the same time supporting the ability of natural systems to provide the natural resources and ecosystem services on which future generations will depend
Sustainable mass tourism
a type of mass tourism which promotes economic, environmental, and socio-cultural enhancements within a destination
Sustainable tourism
tourism development that meets the needs of present tourists and host regions while protecting and enhancing opportunities for the future
SWOT analysis
the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats related to business competition
System
an interdependent series of elements that interact in order to achieve some end result
Tangible culture
physical cultural and historical artifacts, such as architecture or other built heritage
Team
a group of people united by a common business goal or achieving common objectives
Time series data
where the numerical value of data is known over different points in time
Topic boundary
a description of where impacts occur for each material topic, and in which ways the organization is involved with those impacts
Total economic impact
the sum of the direct, indirect, and induced effects
Tourism
the temporary movement of people to destinations outside their normal places of work and residence, the activities undertaken during their stay in those destinations, and the facilities created to cater to their needs
Tourism supply chain (TSC)
a network of tourism organizations involved in a series of diverse activities, including the provision of an entire spectrum of components of tourism products/services, such as flights and accommodation, ending with the sale of tourism products in the tourism region
Tourism trade balance
the difference between inbound tourism expenditure and outbound tourism expenditure
Tourism typology
a classification of tourists based on psychological characteristics
Travel
the physical process of moving from one area to another
Triple bottom line
an accounting framework that considers impacts to the economy, the environment, and the society
Turning point
when a swing in one direction ends and a swing in another direction begins
Unconscious bias
the inclination for humans to form social stereotypes that lump people together unfairly based on their past experiences
Upstream activities
the inputs that a company buys to make or sell its product and includes suppliers, purchases, and production lines
Value added tax
sales tax collected in pieces along the production chain
Value chain
a system which describes how private businesses in collaboration with governments and civil society receive or access resources as inputs, add value through various processes (planning, development, financing, marketing, distribution, pricing, positioning, among others), and sell the resulting products to visitors
Verifying body
enforces certification criteria and checks on the performance of applicants
Vertical collaboration
collaborations between a firm at different levels within the supply chain, such as inputs, or the partners to which they sell their final products
Vision statement
a future-based narrative meant to inspire and give direction to employees of the company rather than customers
Visitor/operator qualification
limiting entry only to those possessing required qualifications
Visitor management
the management tools and interventions that regulate the movement and behavior of visitors in a destination, natural area, or attraction
Voluntourism
tourism that provides opportunities for people to do volunteer work while also participating in tourism as a way to ‘do good’ or ‘give back’ to a community
Weak sustainability
the philosophy that man-made capital is more important than natural capital
Willingness to pay
the maximum price at or below which a consumer will definitely buy one unit of a product
Xenophobia
the fear and hatred of strangers, foreigners, or of anything that is strange or foreign