English language skills for travel and tourism

Hello Friends

English as Language of Travel and Tourism:

Core Skills

Dr. Vandana Pathak

Asso. Prof. & Head, Dept. of English,

L.A.D. & Smt.R.P. College for Women,

Nagpur-10.

Dr. Urmila Dabir Principal, and Head, Dept. of English,Rajkumar Kewalramani Kanya Mahavidyalaya,Nagpur.

Introduction• Tourism -One of the world’s fastest growing industries.• Tourism is “a stay of one or more nights away from home

for holidays, visits to friends or relatives, business conferences or any other purpose, except such things as boarding, education, or semi-permanent employment.”

• Tourism industry -service providers- travel agents, tour operators, transport operators, guides, hoteliers, guesthouse owners, entertainment organizers, shop owners, government departments, immigration and customs services, trainers, and academicians.

• Brings about benefits to economy, generation of income, expansion of employment opportunities, mobilization of foreign exchange, social integration, cultural transformation & development of commerce.

Intro-contd.

• People travel for many reasons now-a-days. These include-

• Recreation Travel-Holidays

• Adventure and Sports Tourism-Trekking, Mountaineering, etc.

• Cultural Tourism-Goa Carnival, Khajuraho Festival,

• Health Tourism-Kerala, Spas,

• Conference• Conventions Travel

Career Opportunities• Graduates of Travel & Tourism

work in their own country and the world.

• Employed at travel agencies, airlines, cruise lines, & as ground operators ,tour wholesalers. Make air reservations, book tours, calculate fares, issue airline tickets

• Give professional advice to travelers about sightseeing, sports, eatables & drinks, recommend best buys in the area.

• Knowledgeable about health, customs & immigration requirements of a country, foreign exchange & identify languages & social norms..

Tourism is an industry that will enable students to learn about and interact with people from a wide variety of cultures and lifestyles throughout the globe. A great advantage to this industry is that it uses the same standards all over the world.

For Whom???• Professionally qualified persons having good

knowledge of history, geography of the country, its culture, customs ,tourist sites, having language proficiency and good communication skills will certainly find a career in tourism and travel both exciting and rewarding.

• Systematic efforts for tourism promotion with the initiative of the government.

• Abundant job opportunities in public sector +private sector enterprises.

English in Travel and Tourism• English Language is accepted globally as

language for communication. • English is language of tourism & openness to

outside world. • Ability to speak & write English effectively has

become an essential skill in workplace. • Basic proficiency in English & competence

established through exams or its equivalence- for abroad-British Council , Pitman/City & Guilds, LCCI - English for Business, RSA (OCR), IELTS 5.5, Confirmation by college of equivalent standard in use of English.

Oral and Listening Skills

Communication involved in travel & tourism industry

• Business Communication- English serves a variety of functions in tourism. For example,

• Interpersonal communication skills including, handling telephone inquiries- special listening skills are necessary in understanding accents, tones, intonations, modulations of voice, etc. Telephone operators & front desk managers need to be trained specially to receive calls and tourist guides for interface- care has to be taken in specifying travel destinations, modes of transport, tourist attractions, & modes of currency, etc., examining destination guides, making on-line-ticketing, & on-line-hotel reservations, composing appropriate & accurate e-mail messages & faxes, dealing with tourists &co-workers in various situations, common requisite for all.

Writing Skills…

Special Writing Skills

• Drafting of travel brochure as the brochures are the mirrors of the organization & reveal its nature.

• A definite set of words has to be used for drafting it; all these activities are carried out in English.

• Grammatical correctness of language is immaterial as long as the objective of the communication is accomplished (in oral but not in written communication),

• The vocabulary should be simple but graphic, visual, picturesque. The people in the industry, should be able to evoke mental images of the scenic spots.

• A thoroughly professional attitude blended with warmth and courtesy is the prerequisite qualification in this industry.

Students need to understand and use …

• Use written English competently, accurately and appropriately in a variety of business communication scenarios.

• Present a variety of data unambiguously in both written and graphical form, bearing in mind the fundamental importance of neatness, clarity and accuracy.

• Understand the principles of business communication, & be able to use the most suitable medium in given situations.

Students need to understand and use …

• Appreciate what are the most common barriers to successful communication and how they can be overcome.

• Draft all the usual forms of business correspondence from given data.

• Understand and appreciate current developments in communications technology and the effect that they have on business.

Various Skills

• Written English:• Accurate spelling and

punctuation. • Range of vocabulary,

correctly used• Paragraphing• Appropriateness of tone. • Neatness

• Correspondence:• Letters, memos,

advertisements, Addresses, headings, salutations

• Clarity in describing any situation

• Clarity in stating requests, opinions, etc.

• •Common abbreviations, Presentation

Various skills-Contd.

• Principles of Communication:

• Structures within an organization

• Purpose of communication• Appropriate channels• Spoken and written• Barriers and how to

overcome them• Technical terms• Presentation of self

• Communication Technology:

• Computers and associated technology

• Use of satellites• Telephones, pagers,

networks• Awareness of its effect on

business• Applications of technology

Various Skills

• Graphs:

• Line graphs, histograms, pie charts

• Neatness and accuracy• Clear labeling• Use of colour

• Identifying trends from data

• Consideration has to be given to characteristics of tourist, traveler, travel services, modes of transport &transport terminals available, characteristics of both generating country & receiving countries.

Skills for Key Sectors of the Travel and Tourism Industry

• Candidates must be able to:• Identify important customer relations skills (eg.

establishing rapport – providing good service – dealing with complaints, patience and right spirit) and demonstrate the impact that they have on customers.

• Demonstrate how communication skills such as conveying information clearly in speech and writing, and listening carefully, contribute to the successful operation of a tourism business or organization.

• Demonstrate the value of personal qualities such as honesty, reliability, initiative, enthusiasm, and confidence in service industry employees.

Skills for Key Sectors of the Travel and Tourism Industry

• Identify and show the importance of information skills used by tourism industry employees (eg. product knowledge – awareness of sources of information – storing and retrieving information – IT capability).

• Understand and demonstrate the need for and benefits of good teamwork in a tourism workplace.

• Explain the relevance of these skills to a specific workplace – either a hotel or a travel agency or a tourist attraction.

Syllabus• English in travel and

tourism- course designers &developers of teaching &learning materials should provide more specifically focused English courses to these learners.

• Students to work on practical language using authentic materials and situations,

• A topic-based syllabus

• Emphasis on communicative skills & specialist vocabulary

• Topics should include: hotels, air travel, cruises, travel agencies, tour operation, types of holiday, the organization & structure of tourism, guiding, and future developments in tourism. Study visits (eg. to a top Mumbai hotel) & interactions with speakers working in tourism to be arranged.

Evaluation• Knowledge- Historical, Geographical, Cultural,

Tourism Industry and Commercial,• Testing through mock projects,• Continuous and comprehensive, not only the end of

the year exam,• Assignments based on the projects- booking tickets,

reservations-accommodation, conveyance, through applications, on-line, telephonically,

• Interactions with tourists-live and observed,• Practical work- in all sectors associated with the

industry,• Weightage to be given to internee training,

Skill Evaluation-• Communication Skills,

• E-skills-technology and its use• Team work skills,• Commercial Skills,• Knowledge Skills,

• Assigning a group of tourists and letting the examinee do everything-right from tour booking, reservations-travel, lodging, conveyance, guides,etc.

• Exams to be conducted in the set ups where the recruits will actually wok in real life situations.

Latest Developments• Rapid Changes

• Agro Tourism

• Forest Tourism

• Medicine Tourism

• Eco Tourism

• Require more knowledge and advanced

proficiency

Let us contribute to make this industry stronger, viable ….

Now is the time to say THANK YOU…

• For your patience, smiles

varied expressions

&