Integrate your Outlook Calendar with Tourism Accelerator to synchronise availability and scheduled events. This integration helps tourism operators prevent double bookings and maximise revenue by ensuring your availability is always up-to-date.
Accessing this feature
Go to Settings > Integrations
How to use it
Follow these steps to successfully connect your Outlook Calendar:
Initiate Connection: On the Outlook Calendar integration page, click Connect Outlook Calendar to start the secure authentication process.
Microsoft Login Redirection: You will be securely redirected to the Microsoft login page. Make sure the domain is an official Microsoft domain (e.g., login.microsoftonline.com) to maintain security.
Enter Outlook Credentials: Enter the email address and password for the specific Outlook account you wish to connect. This should be the account associated with the calendar you intend to synchronise.
Review Permissions Request: Microsoft will present a list of permissions that the Tourism Accelerator platform is requesting. These permissions are necessary for the integration to function correctly, including the ability to read your calendar events and free/busy information, and potentially to create or update events. Carefully review these requests.
Grant Authorisation: If you agree with the requested permissions, click Accept or Allow. This grants the Tourism Accelerator platform permission to access your Outlook Calendar on your behalf, without ever seeing or storing your password.
Return to Tourism Accelerator Platform: Upon successful authorisation, you will be automatically redirected back to the Tourism Accelerator platform. A confirmation message will appear, indicating that the connection has been established.
Select Calendar for Synchronisation (if applicable): If your Outlook account manages multiple calendars, the platform may prompt you to select which specific calendar you wish to synchronise. Choose the relevant calendar that contains your primary availability and event schedule.
Configure Synchronisation Settings: Depending on the platform's capabilities, you may be presented with options to configure synchronisation preferences, such as the direction of synchronisation (one-way or bidirectional), event categories to include, or specific event statuses to monitor. Adjust these settings according to your operational requirements.
Initial Synchronisation: Once configured, the platform will perform an initial synchronisation to import existing events and availability data from your selected Outlook Calendar. The duration of this initial synchronisation may vary based on the volume of data.
Verify Connection: After the process is complete, it is recommended to create a test event in your Outlook Calendar or on the Tourism Accelerator platform to confirm that events are synchronising correctly in both directions.
Tips
Consider using a dedicated Outlook account or calendar specifically for business integrations to maintain a clear separation from personal schedules.
Always carefully review the permissions requested during the OAuth authorisation process to make sure you understand what data the platform will access.
Periodically check your calendar synchronisation to confirm that events are updating as expected and that no conflicts have arisen.
Make sure the Outlook account linked to the integration is secured with strong, unique passwords and Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) to prevent unauthorised access.
If you cease using an integration, make sure you disconnect it from both the Tourism Accelerator platform and revoke its access from your Microsoft account settings.
Need help?
For further assistance, contact us at [email protected]