WBBSE Madhyamik Tourism & Hospitality (Vocational) flashcards

32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

Tourist vs excursionist

A tourist is a visitor who stays at least one night at the destination; an excursionist is a same-day visitor who returns without an overnight stay.

Push and pull factors

Push factors are conditions at home that encourage travel, such as income, stress or curiosity. Pull factors are attractions at the destination, such as beaches, heritage or climate.

Tourism leakage

Money that leaves the destination economy through imported supplies, foreign-owned business profits or outbound payments. High leakage reduces the local income multiplier from visitor spending.

Tourism multiplier effect

Direct visitor spending in hotels creates indirect purchases from local suppliers and induced spending by staff wages. The multiplier measures how many times each rupee circulates locally.

UNESCO World Heritage Site

A place listed by UNESCO for outstanding universal value. West Bengal has three: Sundarbans National Park, Darjeeling Himalayan Railway and Shantiniketan.

MICE tourism

Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions. MICE travellers usually visit in groups, book in advance and spend more than leisure visitors, often in off-peak months.

Intangibility of tourism product

A tourism product cannot be inspected before purchase; the guest buys an experience. This makes trust, brochures, reviews and accurate information essential in selling it.

Eco-tourism

Responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment and supports local people. In West Bengal, Sundarbans community-based tourism is a common example.

Itinerary

A time-ordered travel plan listing dates, places, transport, accommodation, meals and activities. A good itinerary avoids backtracking and balances sightseeing with rest.

Open-jaw itinerary

A journey that arrives at one city and departs from another, so the route does not return to the starting point. It saves travel time on multi-city tours.

Cost sheet for a tour

A statement totalling transport, accommodation, meals, entry fees, guide charges and service charges, to which the operator adds a profit margin to fix the package price.

Seasonality in tourism

The pattern of demand rising in certain months and falling in others. Destinations respond with peak, shoulder and off-season tariffs and promotional packages.

Room status codes

Abbreviations used by front office and housekeeping: VC vacant clean, VD vacant dirty, OC occupied clean, OD occupied dirty, OOO out of order, DND do not disturb.

American plan (AP)

A room tariff that includes all three meals with the room. European plan (EP) covers room only; modified American plan covers breakfast and one other meal.

Rack rate

The published or maximum tariff of a hotel room before any discount. Corporate, group and seasonal rates are usually quoted as reductions from the rack rate.

Night audit

The front office accounting task performed at night: verifying guest ledgers, posting charges, balancing cash and updating room status for the next day.

Table d'hôte menu

A fixed menu of several courses offered at one set price, with limited choice. It is cheaper and faster to serve than an à la carte menu of individually priced dishes.

Mother sauces

The five basic sauces in classical cuisine: béchamel from milk, velouté from white stock, espagnole from brown stock, tomato sauce and hollandaise from butter and egg yolk.

Danger zone in food safety

The temperature range of about 5°C to 60°C in which bacteria multiply fastest. Hot food is held above 60°C and cold food below 5°C.

Service from the left

The rule that food is served from the guest's left side and cleared from the right, while beverages are poured from the right. Service proceeds clockwise.

Travel agency vs tour operator

An agency sells suppliers' products for commission and acts as an agent. A tour operator assembles its own packages, sets prices and bears the business risk.

PNR

Passenger Name Record: the airline reservation file holding the traveller's name, itinerary, fare, contact details and ticket status. It is identified by a six-character code.

FIT traveller

Free Independent Traveller: a guest travelling alone or in a small group without a fixed tour schedule, who books transport and hotels separately.

Form C

A registration form that hotels in India must complete for foreign guests, recording passport and visa details, and submit to the local police as required.

Active listening

Concentrating fully on the speaker, not interrupting, then paraphrasing and asking questions to confirm understanding before acting on the request.

SERVQUAL dimensions

Five measures of service quality: reliability, assurance, tangibles, empathy and responsiveness. Reliability means delivering the promised service dependably and accurately.

Service recovery

The process of handling a complaint by acknowledging it, apologising sincerely, acting quickly, offering a fair solution and following up to confirm the guest is satisfied.

Non-verbal communication

Messages sent through body language, gestures, eye contact, posture, tone and grooming rather than words. In hospitality it often shapes the guest's judgement of service.

Break-even point

The sales level at which total revenue equals total cost and profit is zero. In units it equals fixed cost divided by selling price minus variable cost per unit.

MUDRA loan

A government-backed loan scheme for small non-farm businesses in India, available in Shishu, Kishore and Tarun categories, often used to fund homestays or small food outlets.

FSSAI licence

Mandatory Indian food safety registration or licence for anyone manufacturing, storing, transporting or selling food, including hotels, restaurants and canteens.

Viva voce

An oral examination in which the candidate explains the project, defines technical terms and justifies decisions. Clear speech, correct terms and accurate examples matter more than length.