Key Terms in Trade, Transport, and Tourism Sectors

Key Terms in Trade, Transport, and Tourism

Trade Terms

• Accessibility: Property applied to a space to express its ease of access or connection to the rest of the set.
• Bulk Trade: The trade is done with products packaged or labeled, which are sold by the merchant in the amount that the buyer wants.
• Distribution Network: Also called the commercial circuit, it refers to the relationship between points of sale and purchase. It varies depending on the goods and has a large spatial elasticity.
• Personal Services: Services directly engaged to meet a need of people, such as hairdressing or beauty services.
• Retail: Selling products directly to consumers in small quantities.
• Wholesale: Buying directly from producers and reselling the products to retailers in large quantities.
• Self-Service: A new form of retailing proposing the direct purchase of products without the mediation of a clerk. It is aimed mainly at the food and household sector, although not exclusively. Supermarkets are an example.
• Franchise: Specialized trade with an international presence that ensures a quality standard. It allows establishments to open under a brand that leverages the benefits of centralized purchasing, a large volume of sales, and unified advertising campaigns.
• Foreign Trade: Trade with other countries, involving exports and imports.
• Internal Trade: Trade that takes place within the borders of a country.

Transportation Terms

• Highway: Road equipped with various lanes for both directions, without intersections, usually a toll road.
• Freeway: Two-way road normally equipped for both directions, with no grade crossings.
• Cabotage: Navigation near the coast. Maritime traffic between ports in the same country.
• Commuter Rail: Covers short intercity trips, with trains running at short intervals between them.
• Transportation Infrastructure: Facilities and networks spread over the territory and interconnected, connecting different communication points and regions (roads, railways, ports, airports, etc.).
• FEVE: Spanish narrow-gauge railways.
• RENFE: Spanish national railway network.

Tourism and Economic Terms

• Tourism Infrastructure: Basic services and facilities devoted to this activity, such as lodging, restaurants, and transport. Often used when analyzing this sector at the national, regional, or provincial level.
• Gross Domestic Product (GDP): The total value of the production of goods and services within a country during a period of time.
• Gross National Product (GNP): The total value of the production of goods and services by a country, whether within or outside its borders, for a period of time.
• Tourism: Activity paid for by the user to perform various activities related to leisure. It can be mass tourism (usually sun and sand, or operated by tour operators) or specialized tourism, such as cultural, rural, sporting, or religious tourism.