connects your Tourism Accelerator booking calendar with Google Calendar or Outlook Calendar. This prevents double bookings and saves time by automatically updating your availability across platforms. For example, a dentist appointment added to Google Calendar blocks availability in Tourism Accelerator.
Accessing this feature
Go to Calendar > Connections
How to use it
Choosing Your Calendar Service
On the Calendar Connections page, you will see options for Google Calendar and Outlook Calendar.
Click the Connect button next to the service you want to synchronise with.
Authorising the Connection
A new window or tab will pop up, asking you to log into your Google or Microsoft account. This is normal and secure.
You are giving Tourism Accelerator permission to read and write events to your calendar.
Follow the prompts to log in and Grant Permission. We only ask for the permissions needed to make the synchronisation work. Your data is safe with us!
Selecting Your Calendars
Once authorised, you will be brought back to Tourism Accelerator.
You will likely see a list of the calendars associated with your Google or Outlook account.
Choose the specific calendars you want to synchronise. For most businesses, this will be your main business calendar or a dedicated "Bookings" calendar you have created.
Setting Your Synchronisation Direction
Decide how you want your calendars to share information:
One-Way Synchronisation (Tourism Accelerator to Google/Outlook): Bookings from Tourism Accelerator will appear in your chosen Google/Outlook calendar. However, events you add directly to Google/Outlook will not block availability in Tourism Accelerator. This is useful if you want to see your bookings alongside your personal schedule.
One-Way Synchronisation (Google/Outlook to Tourism Accelerator): Events you add to your chosen Google/Outlook calendar will block out availability in Tourism Accelerator (preventing new bookings). However, bookings from Tourism Accelerator will not appear in your Google/Outlook calendar. This is useful if you manage your availability primarily in Google/Outlook.
Two-Way Synchronisation: This is a popular choice! Bookings from Tourism Accelerator will appear in your Google/Outlook calendar, and events you add to Google/Outlook will block availability in Tourism Accelerator. It's a full synchronisation between your calendars!
Select the option that best suits how you manage your schedule.
Confirming and Saving
Once you have made your choices, click the Save button.
That's it! Your calendars will start synchronising. The initial synchronisation may take a few minutes, especially with many existing events.
Tips
Create a specific Google or Outlook calendar for your Tourism Accelerator bookings and business-related events. This keeps your work and personal life separated and makes managing your schedule clearer. You can still view them together, but it's easier to filter if needed.
Calendar synchronisations happen automatically at regular intervals (e.g., every 5-15 minutes). While usually quick, it might not be instantaneous. If relying on a last-minute update, a manual check is recommended.
Double-check whether you have chosen one-way or two-way synchronisation, and ensure it aligns with how you want your calendars to interact. If your needs change, you can adjust this setting.
After setup, add a test booking in Tourism Accelerator and a test personal event in your Google/Outlook calendar to ensure everything is flowing as expected.
Need help?
For further assistance, contact us at [email protected]