Foreign Language Skills and Tourism Management Courses in the UK

Abstract

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.