Foreign Language Skills and the Needs of the UK Tourism Sector

This article presents the findings of a study catalysed by the outcomes of research into the attitudes and perceptions of UK undergraduate students of tourism management in relation to the need for foreign language skills, reported and discussed in a previous paper in this journal (Leslie et al, 2002). While that earlier study paid some attention to employers, it did so to a limited extent and therefore subsequent research was undertaken to investigate UK employers' attitudes to, and the need for, foreign language skills. This involved a survey of a diverse range of tourism enterprises, representative of the sector, drawn from across the UK. While the findings reveal few variations among different categories of enterprise in the sector, significant variations were found in attitudes and needs both within categories and more generally. Overall, there is a demand for foreign language skills and there are evident gaps in the marketplace – for example, the language skills that are available and difficulties in recruitment. Furthermore, employers generally were found to be reluctant to promote and support the development of these skills on the job. In concluding, the authors argue that the gaps in the marketplace are compounded by the lack of attention to the development of foreign language skills within tourism management education programmes and the lack of articulation of these needs, and wider commitment to them, by tourism-sector employers. All this brings into question just how well positioned tourism enterprises are in the UK to maintain their existing markets, let alone develop them in an increasingly competitive global marketplace.