Island Tourism Employees’ Perceived Importance and Challenges of English Communication

Abstract

In the tourism industry the prominent role of English is inevitable as the communicative tasks involve tourism employees and tourists to cooperate with one another in order to attain successful communication goals. While research on English language use has been conducted upon other fields of tourism, there is a paucity in English language related studies associated specifically with island tourism industry. The present study is established based on the two objectives: (1) to identify the importance of English in performing communicative tasks among island tourism employees and (2) to identify the sources of difficulties encountered by the employees. Data were collected from 59 employees working in island tourism in Perhentian and Redang islands using questionnaire as the instrument. SPSS Version 22 was used to calculate the mean value and standard deviation of each item. Based on the analysis, English language is most important for the employees when enquiring about international tourists’ information and needs and least important to refuse tourists’ offers. In relation to language difficulties, the employees rated the skills to understand international tourists’ foreign accents when they speak English and to use correct English grammar as most difficult as compared to other sources of difficulties in speaking English.

Identifying English language needs among administrative support staff in a Malaysian Public University: A preliminary study

“…The study revealed that respondents perceived English is very important as they need to communicate with international tourists. The findings also showed that respondents agreed that their two main sources of difficulties in using English were tourist's accents and English grammar (Hassan & Ong, 2019).…”

“…This finding is consistent with the claim by Jusoh et al (2018) that university administrative staff mainly use English when dealing with foreign staff or students. Similarly, Hassan and Ong (2019) reported that within the tourism context, English is being used the most during inquiring about international tourist's information and needs. In contrast, Karachedee (2017) reported that most Thai multinational employees required training in listening skills as they mostly used English during telephone communication with both internal and external customers.…”

“…Due to this early exposure to English language, employers expect their employees to be able to communicate in English effectively to serve in different communicative tasks. The role of the English language in the employment sector, whether in public or private, is very significant as organizations rapidly embrace more and more foreign stakeholders into their environment (Hassan & Ong, 2019).…”

“…Administrative staff also expressed that more chances should be given to them to practice their conversation skills in English (Jassim, 2020). Hassan and Ong (2019) carried out a study with the aim of investigating English usage and sources of difficulties in using English among island tourism staff at hotels situated in Perhentian and Redang Islands. The study revealed that respondents perceived English is very important as they need to communicate with international tourists.…”

Navigating The World Of Tourism: A Literature Review Of English Language Proficiency's Influence

“…In this context, the role of English as a lingua franca in tourism cannot be underestimated. Che Hassan & Ong Lok Tik, (2019) stated that English is considered a practical language and is mainly used for communication between tourists and tour staff. As a truly global language, English plays a key role in overcoming language barriers and enabling seamless communication between individuals with different linguistic backgrounds.…”