Working on Innovation in Esp in Tourism: Three Examples

Abstract

Most students start studying for a Degree in Tourism Management at our university (Florida Universitaria, Valencia, Spain) at the B2 English level, but without any prior contact with English for Specific Purposes (ESP) in Tourism. Creating motivating experiences that boost students’ interest in the English for Tourism I, II and III, mandatory subjects that they take throughout their degree, is a challenge to us. The aim of this paper is to present three examples of short projects in ESP, each conducted in one of the three years when students have English. All the projects share the following characteristics: learners apply their expertise to tourism related situations, students in other degrees or lecturers at Florida Universitaria participate as target audience, and IT tools are used for developing the projects and communication. As regards the assignments, first-year learners prepared a Valencia City Guide for the European lecturers who participated in our International Week. Second-year students drew up a proposal for a cultural exhibition for young people, taking information from the feedback given by other students within the target age group. Third-year students created an online game about Valencian monuments. Third-year students for a Degree in Education (future English teachers) reviewed the text and gave feedback; the activity was answered by first-year education students who played the role of tourists. Data obtained from satisfaction questionnaires, together with the feedback given by students in class, proved a positive effect of these projects on students’ attitude towards the subject and subsequently on academic results.