ADR (Average Daily Rate)
The average room rate earned per occupied room. Calculated by dividing total room revenue by the number of rooms occupied in a given period. Distinct from RevPAR, which also factors in unoccupied rooms.
Agritourism
Rural accommodation linked to farming activity, offering lodging and often meals from farm produce. Regulated in Italy by Law 96/2006; analogous forms exist in many countries under various names (agritourisme, agriturismo, farm stay).
ALOS (Average Length of Stay)
The average number of nights spent by visitors in an accommodation or destination, calculated as the ratio of total nights to total arrivals. Higher ALOS indicates embedded tourism with greater total spend per visitor.
Allotment
A block of rooms reserved by a tour operator from an accommodation property for a defined period. May be guaranteed (the operator pays regardless of sales) or non-guaranteed (with a release date by which unsold rooms revert to the property).
Booking Engine
An online software tool embedded in a hotel's website enabling guests to search availability, select room types and complete reservations in real time, without commission to OTAs.
Booking Window (Lead Time)
The time interval between the reservation date and the arrival date. A wide booking window indicates advance planning (typical of leisure); a short one indicates last-minute or business demand.
Carrying Capacity
The maximum number of visitors a site or destination can sustain without irreversible damage to the natural or cultural resource base, or unacceptable degradation of the visitor experience. Encompasses physical, ecological, social and managerial dimensions.
Channel Manager
Technology that enables an accommodation property to update availability and rates simultaneously across all distribution channels (OTA, GDS, direct website) from a single platform.
CVB (Convention and Visitors Bureau)
A local tourism organisation, similar to a DMO, specialised in promoting a destination for meetings, conventions and business travel.
DMO (Destination Management Organisation)
An entity responsible for strategic management and promotion of a tourism destination, typically through public-private partnership. Performs functions including marketing, product development, research and quality management.
Ecotourism
Responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment and sustains the wellbeing of local people (International Ecotourism Society definition). Distinguished from general nature tourism by its active contribution to conservation and direct community benefit.
GDS (Global Distribution System)
A global computerised network (e.g. Amadeus, Sabre, Travelport) connecting travel service suppliers with travel agencies and corporations worldwide. Primary channel for business travel and traditional travel agencies.
GSTC (Global Sustainable Tourism Council)
International organisation managing global sustainable tourism standards. GSTC Criteria cover sustainable management, socioeconomic benefits for communities, cultural heritage conservation and environmental protection.
High Season / Low Season
Periods of maximum and minimum visitor footfall in a destination. The distinction drives pricing strategies and promotional campaigns.
Hospitality
An umbrella term covering all visitor-facing services: accommodation, food and beverage, entertainment. In commercial usage often equated with the hotel-restaurant-café (HoReCa) sector.
Hub Airport
A major airport used as a transit node for connecting flights. The presence of hub airports influences the accessibility and competitiveness of tourism destinations.
Inbound Tourism
Visits by non-residents to a given country. Equivalent to a service export and contributes positively to the balance of payments.
KPIs (Tourism)
Key performance indicators: occupancy rate, ADR, RevPAR for accommodation; arrivals, overnight stays, average length of stay, tourism expenditure, NPS for destinations.
No-Show
A confirmed reservation that goes unfulfilled because the guest neither arrives nor cancels. Properties protect against no-shows by requiring a credit card guarantee or prepayment.
OTA (Online Travel Agency)
A digital platform that sells travel products on behalf of suppliers, applying commission per booking (e.g. Booking.com, Expedia). OTAs are major distribution channels for accommodation, transport and experiences.
Outbound Tourism
Visits by residents of a given country to other countries. Treated as a service import in the balance of payments.
Overtourism
The situation where the impact of tourism, at certain times and in certain locations, exceeds physical, ecological, social or psychological carrying capacity. Manifests in resident complaints, visitor dissatisfaction, and heritage deterioration.
Package Holiday
A pre-arranged combination of at least two travel components (transport, accommodation, other tourism services) sold at an inclusive price for more than 24 hours. Governed by EU Directive 2015/2302.
PCO (Professional Congress Organiser)
A specialist company managing all aspects of association or corporate congresses: venue selection, programme, registration, logistics and post-event reporting.
Rate Parity
A contractual clause historically requiring accommodation properties to offer the same rates on all channels as on OTA platforms. Banned or restricted in several EU countries (Italy, France, Germany) as anti-competitive.
Revenue Management
The strategic application of analytics to forecast demand and optimise pricing, inventory and distribution in order to maximise revenue. The target KPI is RevPAR.
Seasonality
The uneven temporal distribution of tourism demand over the year. Management strategies include deseasonalisation, diversification of the product portfolio and differential pricing.