Foreign Language Skills and Tourism Management Courses in the UK

Abstract

<jats:p> The key issues underpinning this article are increasing globalization, development and expansion of the European Union, and the ease of and demand for international travel. These factors collectively are generating greater numbers of international travellers and thus an increasing recognition of the need for multilingual staff. This is perhaps most manifest in the service industries and, it is argued, particularly in tourism. The availability of multilingual staff is, partly at least, a function of education. This article examines the role and position of foreign languages skills in undergraduate tourism management degree courses. The findings of an investigation into the attitudes and perceptions of students of such courses in relation to the study of foreign languages are presented, complemented by the outcomes of a survey of tourism employers. While it is established that the development of foreign languages skills is recognized as an invaluable outcome of these courses, it is surprising that their acquisition is not always compulsory. Limitations in the study of languages are identified as well as key differences between the perceptions of students and those of employers, which highlight critical issues and the need for further research. </jats:p>

The importance of foreign language skills in the tourism sector: A comparative study of student perceptions in the UK and continental Europe

“…In the tourism sector, both the British Tourist Authority (BTA, 1990) and the EU have sought to promote FL skills. The ongoing lack of progress is well exemplified in the outcomes of the Nuffield Enquiry (2000) and in the UK press (see Leslie et al, 2002). In the UK, it has been argued that English is the international language, further that most Europeans speak English; a convenient view, reflective of the general attitude towards the personal development of FL skills which, as noted, is poor (see Davies, 1999).…”

“…' (2004, p. 263) This advocacy of the need for FL skills and correlating support by tourism employers brings into focus the place of FL study in tourism courses. Recognition of this leads to a study to investigate this area (Leslie, Russell, & Forbes, 2002), the findings of which catalysed research, as noted above, into the views and needs of tourism employers. A number of concerns emerged from these studies over the development of, and the need for, FL skills in the UK, not the least of which, as discussed below, were the implications of such concerns on the current and future competitiveness of tourism in the UK.…”

Returns to Foreign Language Skills of Immigrants in Spain

“…Proficiency in a foreign language is a significant part of an individuals' human capital and has been recognized as a crucial productive trait in international trade (Fidrmuc and Fidrmuc, 2009), services (Tucci and Wagner, 2004), and tourism (Leslie et al, 2002). Due to the growing importance, induced by globalization, of foreign language proficiency, some countries are struggling to maintain the necessary level of language skill endowments.…”

Returns to Local and Foreign Language Skills - Causal Evidence from Spain

“…The pro ciency in foreign languages is a signi cant part of an individuals' human capital and has been recognized as a crucial productive trait in international trade (Fidrmuc and Fidrmuc, 2009), services (Tucci and Wagner, 2004) and tourism (Leslie et al, 2002). Due to the growing importance of foreign language pro ciency induced by globalization, some countries struggle to maintain the necessary level of language skill endowments.…”

“…On the demand side, the value of languages for employers is given by the enhanced communication ability in business needs, international trade, or tourism (Fidrmuc and Fidrmuc, 2009;Tucci and Wagner, 2004;Leslie et al, 2002). The value of a language is crucially connected to the relative importance of this language to a country (Grin, 2003), which stems from the trade potential delivered by a language, its applicability in the direct face-to-face communication with customers, or in the reduction of search and information costs when dealing with foreign information.…”