Tourism Glossary

Adventure Tourism
Outdoor activities that present the participant with risk and challenge. Adventure tourism is divided into two types: hard adventure and soft adventure.

Agritourism
Agritourism covers a wide variety of recreational, educational and other leisure activities and services, provided by farmers and ranchers and experienced by consumers who value the activity or service they receive and seek it out. Agritourism may be defined as activities, events and services related to agriculture that take place on or off the farm or ranch, and that connect consumers with the heritage, natural resource or culinary experience they value. There are three general classifications of agritourism activities: on-farm/ranch, food-based, and heritage activities.

Air Capacity
A limited number of airplane seats to which a special fare has been assigned. This percentage may change depending upon how quickly seats are selling on the flight.
Capacity also refers to the ability of an airport to handle a given volume or magnitude of traffic (demand) within a specified time period. There are four distinct elements in a capacity analysis: airspace, airfield, terminal, and ground access.
Approved Destination Status (ADS)
Approved Destination Status (ADS) is a bilateral tourism arrangement between the Chinese government and a foreign destination. Approved Destination Status allows Chinese travel agents to advertise and organize group tours to countries with the designation. Countries with ADS status are permitted by China to host Chinese tourists undertaking leisure travel in groups.

Average Daily Rate (ADR)
Statistical unit used to measure a hotel’s pricing scale. This figure is derived by dividing actual daily revenue by the total number of available rooms.

BC Tourism Industry Conference (TIC)
For over 20 years, the annual BC Tourism Industry Conference has been providing a forum for tourism businesses and stakeholders from around British Columbia to come together to learn from experts and each other about the key issues, challenges and best practices in the industry. The Conference also hosts the BC Tourism Industry Awards which recognize excellence in the province’s tourism industry. Recipients provide outstanding service, exemplify best business practices, innovative marketing and deliver tourism experiences that contribute to the success of BC’s tourism industry.

Bed and Breakfast (B&B)
Accommodation that is generally family owned and managed, accommodates three to ten groups per night, and includes a family-style breakfast.

Bilateral Agreement
In transportation, an agreement between two countries that often deals with the number of flights permitted from each country into a specific airport, which includes the size and capacity of the airplanes, and special fares.

Cariboo Chilcotin Coast (CCC)
One of the six tourism regions designated by Destination British Columbia, the Cariboo Chilcotin Coast stretches from the wildness of the Pacific Coast to the Cariboo Mountains, with forests, hidden lakes, craggy peaks, and golden plains set in between. This is a region with a past rich in the spirit of adventure, a land settled by entrepreneurs and outdoor enthusiasts, artists, and explorers.

Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB)
Sometimes referred to as Destination Management Organizations (DMOs), CVB’s are umbrella organizations that represent a city or urban area in the solicitation and servicing of all types of travellers to that city or area whether they visit for business, pleasure, or both.

Cruise revenue passengers
Paying passengers embarking or disembarking from a single port.

Customs Entries
International visitor entries at a designated land, sea, or air border. Customs entries include international visitors who cross Canada Customs in British Columbia. These figures do not account for all visitors to British Columbia since domestic visitors are excluded as well as international visitors who cross Canada Customs outside British Columbia yet still travel to British Columbia. Likewise, customs entries include visitors that cross Canada Customs in British Columbia, but who continue on to other provinces.

Destination Canada (DC)
Destination Canada’s is our national tourism marketing organization. Its vision is to compel the world to explore Canada. Along with partners in the tourism industry and all levels of government, it advertises and markets Canada in ten countries around the world, conducts industry research and studies, and promotes product and industry development.

Destination Management Company (DMC)
Company or professional individual engaged in organizing meetings of all types and their related activities, also known as Professional Congress Organizer (PCO).

Destination Marketing Organization (DMO)
Sometimes called Convention and Visitor Bureaus (CVB) or Tourism Boards, DMO’s promote the long term development and marketing of a destination, focusing on convention sales, tourism marketing, and service.

Destination Management Organization (DMO)
A destination marketing organization is an organization that promotes a town, city, region in order to increase the number of visitors. The organization is also responsible for providing the insights and leadership necessary to bring policies and plans into reality.

Destination Management System (DMS)
Also referred to as destination databases, visitor information systems, and marketing systems. Destination Management Systems (DMS) enable Destination Marketing Organizations (DMO) to coordinate their operations and promote their products. DMS’s aim to provide complete and up-to-date information on a particular destination.

Domestic Tourist
A person travelling in the country in which he or she resides.

Ecotourism
Responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment and improves the well-being of local people.

Hotel Occupancy Rate
The percentage of hotel rooms occupied during a specific time period, omitting rooms not available for due to renovations or otherwise unavailable.

Indigenous Tourism British Columbia (ITBC)
The Indigenous Tourism Association of British Columbia (ITBC) is a non-profit, membership-based organization committed to growing and promoting a sustainable, culturally rich Indigenous tourism industry. Through training, information resources, networking opportunities and co-operative marketing programs, ITBC is a one-stop resource for First Nations entrepreneurs and communities in British Columbia who are operating or looking to start a tourism business. ITBC works closely with tourism, business, education, and government organizations to help British Columbia’s Indigenous tourism businesses offer quality experiences. The association actively promote these experiences to visitors and local residents.

International Air Transport Association (IATA)
A privately run international organization whose principle function is to facilitate the movement of person and goods from and to any point on the world air network by any combination of routes.

International Travel Survey (ITS)
The International Travel Survey (ITS) provides a full range of statistics on the volume of international travellers and detailed characteristics of their trips. The objective of the ITS is to gather information on international travel and tourism, and more specifically to gather information on trip purpose, trip duration, activities, places visited, accommodation used, and expenditures of international travellers. This information helps governments, municipalities, agencies and the tourism industry develop policies, products. and services that correspond to travellers’ needs as well as measure the contribution of international tourism to the Canadian economy. The International Travel Survey is comprised of two components:

1. Administrative data collected by Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA)
2. Questionnaire data

Kootenay Rockies (KR)
One of the six tourism regions designated by Destination British Columbia, the Kootenay Rockies is a vast wilderness of rivers, lakes, waterfalls, beaches, mineral hot springs, alpine meadows, and snow-capped mountains. This area is also home to wonderfully restored heritage towns, thriving arts communities, and gold rush boomtowns.

Northern British Columbia (NBC)
One of the six tourism regions designated by Destination British Columbia, Northern British Columbia’s vast wilderness comprises more than half the province – approximately 500,000 km. It is larger than California or Japan and twice the size of the United Kingdom. Northern British Columbia is a land of unlimited adventure that extends 1,000km from east to west, following the Yellowhead Highway. It is filled with jagged mountain peaks, roaring rivers, serene lakes, green valleys, rugged coastlines, and ancient island archipelagos.

Metro Vancouver
Metro Vancouver is comprised of 22 member municipalities, one electoral area, and one treaty First Nation. Through Metro Vancouver, each member municipality has a say in how the region is run. Four separate corporate entities operate under the name Metro Vancouver: Greater Vancouver Regional District (GVRD), Greater Vancouver Sewage and Drainage District (GVSDD), Greater Vancouver Water District (GVWD), and Metro Vancouver Housing Corporation (MVHC). The GVRD, GVWD and GVSDD Boards of Directors comprise mayors and councillors from the member municipalities on a “representation by population” basis.

Open Skies
An agreement between two or more nations that allows air carriers to fly unrestricted within each other’s borders.

Overnight stay
Travel of one or more nights includes travellers staying in a country other than in which they reside.

Passenger Volume
The monthly and year-to-date passengers reported by airports [or other transportation hubs]. At the Vancouver International Airport, this includes all passengers handled at terminals, whether revenue or non-revenue. Non-revenue passengers include those travelling on frequent flyer bonuses, airline employee travel, etc.

Percent Change
Change (variance) between two percentages (also referred to as percentage point change).

Recreational Vehicle (RV)
A motorized or towable vehicle that combines transportation and temporary living accommodations for travel, recreation, and camping.

Revenue per Available Room (RevPar)
A metric, expressed as a ratio, used in the hospitality industry to measure the financial performance of a hotel or similar accommodation. The figure is arrived at by dividing the total sum of income from room rentals during a specified period, after discounts, and exclusive of taxes, meals, and other additional charges, by the number of rooms available for rent during that period.

Same Day Trips
Same-day travel encompasses travellers who enter and leave a country in less than 24 hours.

Sustainable Tourism
Sustainable tourism aims to enhance the quality and sustainability of natural and cultural heritage-based experiences by:

• Minimizing the tourism industry’s negative economic, environmental, and socio-cultural impacts
• Generating greater economic benefits for local communities
• Making positive contributions to the preservation of natural and cultural assets

Sustainable tourism delivers a meaningful experience and thus a high degree of customer satisfaction. A sustainable tourism business fulfills economic, environmental, and socio-cultural obligations while generating income, contributing to employment, maintaining cultural integrity, and preserving essential ecological processes and biological diversity.

The International Ecotourism Society (TIES)
The International Ecotourism Society (TIES) is committed to promoting the principles of ecotourism and responsible travel. With the goal of uniting conservation, communities and sustainable travel, TIES serves its members in over 90 countries, as the global source of knowledge and advocacy in ecotourism.

Thompson Okanagan (TO)
One of the six tourism regions designated by Destination British Columbia, this area is famous for its orchards, vineyards, skiing, golf, deserts, and mountains. The history and culture of the Thompson Okanagan region (population: 461,858) is strongly tied to the land. Indigenous peoples led a semi-nomadic life moving between hunting and fishing grounds in the summers and settling into pit houses for the winter. Europeans came at first to trade for furs and then to establish cattle ranches, farms and mining operations. The region is full of museums and heritage sites that bring this colourful past to life for visitors.

Tourism (WTO Definition)
According to the World Tourism Organization (WTO), tourism comprises the activities of persons travelling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business, and other purposes. The term usual environment is intended to exclude trips within the area of usual residence, frequent and regular trips between the domicile and the workplace, and other community trips of routine character.

Destination British Columbia (DBC)
Destination British Columbia (DBC) is responsible for marketing the Super, Natural British Columbia® brand to the world. Since becoming a Crown corporation in April 2013, DBC’s mandate has been to promote development and growth in the tourism industry, to increase revenues and employment throughout British Columbia, and to increase the economic benefits for all British Columbians. DBC works closely with British Columbia’s tourism industry to promote and develop tourism throughout the province and to ensure the continued long-term growth and prosperity of BC’s $17 billion industry.

Tourism Demand
Tourism Demand is defined as the spending of Canadian and non-resident visitors on domestically produced commodities. It is the sum of tourism domestic demand and tourism exports.

Tourism Exports
Tourism Exports is spending by foreign visitors on Canadian-produced goods and services. It includes spending that may take place outside of Canada, for instance, the purchase of an airline ticket from a Canadian international carrier, to travel to Canada.

Travel Receipts
Travel receipts are the expenditures in Canada by international travelers, including foreign crew. Among these would be expenditures for lodging, food, entertainment, local transportation, gifts, medical care, student expenses and all other purchase of personal goods and services.

Travel Survey of Residents of Canada (TSRC)
The Travel Survey of Residents of Canada (TSRC) is a major source of data used to measure the size and status of Canada’s tourism industry. It was developed to measure the volume, the characteristics and the economic impact of domestic travel. This survey replaces the Canadian Travel Survey (CTS). The TSRC is sponsored by Statistics Canada, Destination Canada, provincial governments, and two federal organizations. It measures the size of domestic travel in Canada from the demand side. The survey provides information about the volume of trips and expenditures for Canadian residents by trip origin, destination, duration, type of accommodation used, trip reason, mode of travel, etc. The survey also provides information on travel incidence and to provide the socio-demographic profile of travellers and non-travellers. Estimates allow quarterly analysis at the national, provincial and tourism region level (with varying degrees of precision) on:

• total volume of same-day and overnight trips taken by the residents of Canada with destinations in Canada
• same-day and overnight visits in Canada
• main purpose of the trip/key activities on trip
• spending on same-day and overnight trips taken in Canada by Canadian residents in total and by category of expenditure
• modes of transportation (main/other) used on the trip
• person-visits, household-visits, spending in total and by expense category for each location visited in Canada
• person- and party-nights spent in each location visited in Canada, in total and by type of accommodation used
• use of travel packages and associated spending and use of motor coach/other guided tours
• source of payment (household, government, private employer)
• demographics of adults that took or did not take trips travel party composition

The main users of the TSRC data are Statistics Canada, Destination Canada, the provinces, and tourism boards. Other users include the media, businesses, consultants, and researchers.

Vancouver International Airport (YVR)
Vancouver International Airport, also known as YVR, is Canada’s second busiest airport. In 2016, YVR welcomed 22.3 million passengers, was the gateway for 281,000 tonnes of cargo, and had 280,124 runway takeoffs and landings. The Airport Authority assumed the management and operation of YVR from Transport Canada in 1992. It is operated under the provisions of a long-term lease with the Government of Canada and has no shareholders. All excess of revenue over expenditures is re-invested in airport developments and service improvements.

Vancouver Island (VI)
One of the six tourism regions designated by Destination British Columbia, the Vancouver Island region is a large, sparsely populated area, encompassing Vancouver Island, the Gulf Islands as well as a portion of the mainland. It has one of the world’s most diverse ecosystems: rainforests, marshes, meadows, beaches, mountains, oceans, rivers and lakes create habitats for multitudes of wildlife species. In fact, the region is one of the world’s premier locations for golf, whale watching, birding, as well as salmon and trout fishing.

Vancouver, Coast & Mountains (VCM)
One of the six tourism regions designated by Destination British Columbia, this region boasts mountains, oceans, lakes, rivers and beached in breathtaking abundance and beauty. The spectacular setting provides the venue for a vast array of outdoor adventures – cycle, hike, camp, kayak, sail, golf, ski, and snowboard. Always a favoured destination for sophisticated travellers, the climate in Vancouver is mild and temperate, but the region’s mountains are equally renowned for their epic snowfalls.

Visiting Friends and Relatives (VFR)
Visiting friends and relatives is a term used to describe a category of traveller who can be either discretionary or non-discretionary and whose main trip purpose is to visit friends and relatives.

Visitor Centre (VC)
British Columbia’s Visitor Centres (VC) are members of the Visitor Centres Network and are available to provide tourists with tourist information, assistance, and advice.
Identified by their distinctive, blue-and-yellow logo, these VC provide a wide range of visitor services, including professional visitor counselling, helpful travel information and literature, and accommodation reservations. Visitor Centres specialize in community information and provincial itinerary planning and their service is friendly and personalized.
To complement the Visitor Centre Network, many small communities operate seasonal tourist information booths. These operations do not sport the Visitor Centre logo. Local community information can be obtained during regular business hours throughout the summer.

Voluntourism
A seamlessly integrated combination of voluntary service to a destination and the best, traditional elements of travel, arts, culture, geography, and history in that destination.

Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI)
Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI) is a U.S. law that requires all travellers, including U.S. and Canadian citizens, to present a valid passport or other approved secure document when entering the United States from within the western hemisphere. The U.S. WHTI is being implemented in stages by mode of transportation.