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Travel Motivations and Expenditure of Language Students in South Africa:

The Case of ABC International in Johannesburg

Submitted by:

Estelle-Élisée NGAFFI NGALANI

200601127

Supervisor: Ms. MAISA CORREIA

December 2011

A research project submitted to the School of Tourism and Hospitality, University of

Johannesburg, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Honours Degree of Arts in

Tourism Development.

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DECLARATION

I, Estelle-Élisée NGAFFI NGALANI, student number 200601127, hereby declare that the

research reported herewith on the topic “Travel Motivations and Expenditure of Language

Students in South Africa: The Case of ABC International in Johannesburg”, is my own work

and that all the sources made use of or quoted in the manuscript have been indicated and

acknowledged by means of complete referencing.

_______________________ ________________________

Signed Date

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

DECLARATION.................................................................................................................... 1

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION ……………………………………………………..……...…. 5

1.1. Context and Background ………………………………………………….….… 5

1.2. Research Problem, Aim and Objectives……………………………….....…… 6

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW................................................................................ 6

2.1. The beginning of youth and educational travel.............................................. 6

2.2. Youth travel in the world……………………………………….………...….….. 7

2.3. Defining youth travel……………………………………………….…….....…… 8

2.4. The importance of language travel……………………………………...……... 9

2.5. Reasons for choosing an English language destination……………….….....10

2.6. Language travel in South Africa…………………………………...………....... 11

2.7. Looking into the future of language travel………………………...……….…. 12

CHAPTER 3: RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY.............................................13

3.1. Research Design..........................................................................................13

3.2. Research Methodology.................................................................................14

CHAPTER 4: DISCUSSION AND RESULTS OF FINDINGS.............................................15

4.1. Students’ Biographic Information………………………………..…………..….15

4.2. Experience…………………………………………………..………..………..….18

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4.3. Access to information and ABC International Language School………..…...21

4.4. Accommodation and transport………………………………………..…..……. 24

4.5. Expenditures of language students at ABC International……………………26

4.6. Future plans……………………………………………………………..…....…. 28

4.7. Findings of the interview with the principal of the school……...………....…..31

4.8. Limitations of the research……………………………………………......….….33

CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS ……………………...…...….….34

REFERENCES……………………………………………………………………………..….…..35

LIST OF TABLES

Table 4.1: Extramural activities undertaken by students………………………….……….…21

LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 2.1: The global market share of Language travel…………………………………..... 8

Figure 4.1: Gender of language students at ABC International……………………….…......16

Figure 4.2: Nationalities of students…………………………………………..…………….…..17

Figure 4.3: Educational level of students……………………………………......….………….17

Figure 4.4: Age range of students at ABC International…………………..…………………18

Figure 4.5: Students experience………………………………………..………………………19

Figure 4.6: Reasons for choosing SA as an English Language Learning Destination…...20

Figure 4.7: Source of information about the school…………………………………..………22

Figure 4.8: Reasons for choosing ABC International language school……………….……23

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Figure 4.9: Purpose of study……………………………………………………….…………..…24

Figure 4.10: Accommodation type……………………………………………………..….……. 25

Figure 4.11: Mode of transportation used to come to South Africa and used within South

Africa……………………………………………………………………………………….……..... 26

Figure 4.12: Average monthly spending of students at ABC International……………….…27

Figure 4.13: Sponsor of students at ABC International………………………………….……28

Figure 4.14: Duration of the English course…………………………………………..…….… 29

Figure 4.15: Total length of stay in South Africa…………………………………..……….…. 30

Figure 4.16: Future plans…………………………………………………………..……….…… 31

APPENDICES……………………………………………………………………….……….…… 39

Appendix A………………………………………………………………………………….….…. 39

Appendix B…………………………………………………………………………………..……..40

Appendix C……………………………………………………………………….……….………..45

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CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

1.1. Context and Background

The phenomenon of globalization has made English the main international language used

by key economies around the world. A recent trend in people living in non-English-speaking

countries travelling to English-speaking destination in order to learn English has become

more apparent. Europe (mainly the UK and Ireland), North America (USA and Canada) and

Australia are the main destinations for English language learning. In 2008, the origin

markets for English language learners included Germany, South Korea and Spain

(Richards, 2009). Nevertheless, Asian countries such as Japan, China and South Korea are

becoming increasingly growing markets for many leading English language learning

destinations. This trend proved to be true in New Zealand, with South Korean and Chinese

students making up the largest contributors to the overall student numbers (Statistics New

Zealand, 2010).

With South Africa being a key economic power in the African continent, the country has

become a strong reference point for those who aspire to learn English or even continue their

studies. South Africa has a host of schools across the country that offers English courses to

foreign students. It seems that Cape Town in particular attracts international learners

whereas Johannesburg and Pretoria tend to attract students coming from neighbouring

African countries. According to Boekstein (2010), 84% of language students in Cape Town

came from Europe, South America and Asia while only 16% of the students originated from

Africa. This goes on to prove that Johannesburg is the hub of regional tourists. This

research will focus on one language school: ABC International. Located in Braamfontein

(Johannesburg), ABC International is a language school that specializes in offering English

courses to foreign students, particularly from Africa, Asia, Europe and South America (ABC

International, 2011).

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2.2. Research Problem, Aim and Objectives

This research aims to:

- Find the reasons why foreign students come to study English in South Africa and

what their expenditures are.

Objectives:

- Determine what the travel motivations of language students at ABC International

are

- Determine the current and future trends in expenditure of students ABC

International, and

- Give recommendations in that regard.

CHAPTER 2

LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1. The beginning of youth and educational travel

The quest for knowledge in a shrinking world has prompted the mobility of young people.

Blundell (2009) explains that today, young people travel primarily to learn English; with

1 519 000 students globally in 2007 to the value of over US $ 16 billion. And even though

educational tourism has gained popularity only recently, it is not a modern phenomenon.

International travel for the purpose of education was already practiced in India during the

period 273-232 BC, with the latter serving as a destination hosting students from all over

Asia Minor. Likewise, the same was true for Europe in the 17th and 18th centuries with the

grand Tour of Europe where members of the privileged class engaged in educational travel

(Pearce and Son, 2004). This clearly shows that youth travel is an old phenomenon which

has gained popularity only recently and won the attention of governments worldwide due to

“the growing travel lust and spending power of young people” (Richards & Wilson, 2005:39).

And according to Moisa (2007), it is in November 1991 that youth tourism has really gained

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the attention of researchers for the first time at the first conference of the WTO held in India

and which the key focus was on the young people that travel.

2.2. Youth travel in the world

Governments around the world have always been interested in tourism because of the

perceived economic value it can bring to a country. This is no exception for youth travel as it

constitutes a growing market segment around the world. According to (Moisa, 2010) youth

travel possesses a lot of potential for the tourism industry and this has been confirmed by

several authors who have identified the increased importance of this market segment. At the

global scale, a study has revealed that “youth and student travel makes up one-fifth of the

world tourism and is the fastest growing travel sector” (Voorhaar, 2004:6 & Cooper, 2007).

This is further confirmed by Moisa (2007) who mentioned that youth travel represents

approximately 20% of all international trips. Youth travel has been identified as a growing

sector around the world and is “one of the most dynamic elements of the global tourism

economy” (Rogerson, 2001).

According to English Australia (EA, 2010), the UK, USA Canada and Australia are the main

destinations in the world that receive the most language students, with UK having the

greatest market share of 28.8 percent. The figure below shows the global market share of

language travel.

Although the UK has always dominated the global market for ELT, its share of the market

has declined drastically over a period of 5 years moving from 43.6% in 2004 to 28.8% in

2009 (EA, 2010) with rival destinations gaining shares of the market. The decrease in the

UK market share has also been noted by Blundell too (2006).

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Figure 2.1: The global market share of Language travel (EA, 2010:1)

In 2009, “the English language travel generated expenditure of over US$ 11.7 billion” (EA,

2010:2).

2.3. Defining youth travel

The Student and Youth Travel Association (SYTA) “defines youth and student travel as

travel by people of 25 years of age and under, away from their community, not for business,

and not primarily to visit friends or relatives” (Pike, 2006:61). The United Nations World

Tourism Organization (UNWTO, 2008:1 as cited by Rogerson, 2011:1-2) on the other hand,

defined youth travel to include “all independent trips for periods of less than one year by

people aged 16-29 which are motivated, in part or in full, by a desire to experience other

cultures, build life experience and/or benefit from formal and informal learning opportunities

outside one’s usual environment’. An earlier and shorter definition of youth travel provided

by the UNWTO in 1991 defined it as “all travel by young people aged between 15 and 29

years old (as cited by Richards and Wilson, 2005: 40). Many scholars acknowledge that the

motivations behind young people growing level of participation in travel include the falling

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level of youth unemployment, increased participation in higher education and increased

travel budgets through parental contributions (Richards & Wilson, 2006:41). Youth travel can

be identified a niche market which includes ‘core groups of people within larger target

audience who have similar occupational and/or lifestyle characteristics towards which a

tourist product may be targeted’ (Department of Trade and Industry).

In most of the English Language Learning destinations, students find their school mainly

through language travel agents. Other sources of information include the internet and local

bookings. In 2009 for instance, 58% of students were recruited in South Africa through

agents. The dominating age group/range comprised students aged between 19-24 years old

who accounted for 40.5% of all students and was followed by those aged between 25-30

which represented 25.5% of the sampled population. This implies that 66% of the students

were 19-30 years old. Brazil, Korea, Germany, Swiss, Turkey, Saudi, Angola, France,

Colombia, China have respectively been identified as the top ten countries represented by

students. (Language travel magazine, 2011).

The majority of young travelers depend on their parents and the latter can be considered as

the direct market. Pike (2006:61) explained that in order “to tap into the rapidly expanding

market of student and youth travel; start with the parents”.

2.4. The importance of language travel

According to the UNWTO (2008) language travel is a significant market for the tourism

industry as its participants contribute to key sectors such as accommodation, food and

transport. In 2009, the expenditure generated by English language travel was estimated to

over US$ 11.7 billion (EA, 2010:2). In Australia for instance, “English language students are

the second most important student group with only the higher education sector students

being slightly more important” (Australian Education International, 2004 as cited by Pearce

& Son, 2004:342).

Apart from the above, youth travel benefits the destination in many other aspects. In

principle, according to the UNWTO & WYSE (undated), government in the host destination

can generally not afford to maintain their facilities with the money generated by the local

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economy. Consequently, it is the money generated by educational institutions through

international students that enable the host country to maintain its facilities. Therefore, youth

travel also help to enhance destination facilities.

Another advantage that young people offer is that they offer the opportunity to attract others

to the destination. A study done in Australia indicated that “international students generate a

large VFR’s market” (Davidson et al. 2010: viii). The study revealed that an average of 70%

of the students expected visit from their family members and friends and that most of them

had already had visit while studying in Australia. Blundell (2009:9) confirmed this trend

relating to friends and family visitation and termed it as “bonus” tourism. This will constitute a

future advantage to be derived from language students as many of them end up being

international students through their enrolment in tertiary education institutions and colleges,

like in the case of Chinese students in Cape Town (Pandit, 2005).

The UNWTO and WYSE (undated: 8) also mentioned the fact that “young people also add

‘buzz’ to destinations” and cause them to be vibrant, in the sense that they push the host

destinations to come up with /create cultural and more creative forms of entertainment,

facilities and the like so as to satisfy the need of the youth market.

2.5. Reasons for choosing an English language destination

One study done in Ireland by Indecon International Economic Consultants (2007) on

different English language destinations such as the UK, Ireland, USA, Australia, Malta, New

Zealand and Canada indicated that learners travel to those destinations for many reasons

which include; the cost of the course, the reputation of the country of having a high quality

education system, friendly inhabitants, and a favourable policy and regulatory environment

(i.e.: concerning visas, safety, etc). Though they might be common reasons why students

travel to one destination or the other, each of these destinations has a particular

drawing/pulling factor of their own. However, in contrast to first world countries whereby

there is competition among countries offering language courses, South Africa dominates in

Africa. African learners are not faced with a huge variety of schools on the continent and

many of those African learners who do not speak English cannot easily afford overseas

English courses or travel to destinations such as the UK and USA as compared to citizens

from other first world countries (Baker, 2004).

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Tourists’ spending is one of the most important aspect governments are interested in as far

as tourism is concerned. In this regard, the length of stay in the destination and the purpose

of travelling play an important role in determining how long the tourist will stay at the

destination. A lengthy period of stay would mean more spending while the opposite would

mean less spending. In this case the length of stay will be related to the length of the

English language course. A study conducted by Indecon International Economic

Consultants (2007) indicated that the majority of English learners surveyed stayed with host

families because it was the cheapest option for them, as compared to living in other types of

accommodation such as apartments. However, a recent study conducted in Australia

indicated that most international students preferred to stay in hostels/motels or apartments

(Davidson, 2010).

In Malta, a study indicated that among English language travellers, students attended

English language courses for 5 weeks on average (Malta Tourism Authority, 2010), while in

the Ireland and UK, the average was respectively 10 and 16.2 weeks during the year 2006

(Indecon International Economic Consultants, 2007).

2.6. Language travel in South Africa

For South Africa, language travel is an important niche market as it offers the advantages of

increasing tourist numbers and of encouraging the diversification of offerings. Besides, niche

markets are easy to study due to their particular interests and consumer behaviour. Hence,

language travel can help the tourism sector achieve its objectives which encompass the

increase of tourists’ length of stay, spend, geographical distribution, volumes, reducing

seasonality and driving transformation in the sector (DTI).

In South Africa, the Department of Tourism has identified the promotion of “responsible

tourism” practices within the sector as one of its strategic objectives as well as the

development of niche-product as one element of the tourism growth and development-

supply cluster (Department of Tourism, 2011). In this regard, youth travel can be used as an

important vehicle in achieving the above mentioned strategic objective since it is a potential

market segment that offers “an opportunity for creating a more ‘responsible tourism’ and for

forging a more equitable distribution of the benefits of tourism (Rogerson, 2011:2). In the

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same direction, youth tourism will contribute to tourism growth and development cluster as a

niche product.

In South Africa, the average age of students taking English language courses in 2006 was

29 years old, which is a bit higher than the age set in the WTO definition of youth taking

language travel. The majority of the respondents took English courses for current or future

work with 60% being employed (Language travel Magazine, 2006).

2.7. Looking into the future of language travel

The rise of English as a global Lingua Franca plays an important role in the migration

patterns of youth worldwide. The language travel market holds great economic potential for

South Africa, as its market is expanding to other regions of the world with Africa that is

experiencing a real growth. According to the Language Travel magazine (2006), the number

of Africans received by South Africa has increased from 9% within a period of 3 years; this

implies that the percentage has more than doubled moving from 6% in 2003 to 15% in 2006.

Likewise, the Latin American market has known a triple increase, moving from 3% to 9%

during the same period to time.

Compared with other English language learning destinations, South Africa has a competitive

advantage in that it is a cheap destination and may consequently attract more learners. In

fact, the International Educational Association for South Africa tapped on this fact and

mentioned that South Africa could be a good learning destination attracting especially

students from the African continent as it offers quality education at a lower cost (Donaldson

& Gatsinzi, 2005). Moreover, according to the language travel magazine (2006:17) feedback

on South Africa indicates “47 per cent of language students found the cost of living to be

lower in South Africa than in their home countries”. However, it should be mentioned that

this perception is from students coming from developed countries whereby the living

standard is high and may not apply to student coming from the African region where there is

still poverty. Nevertheless, this statement does not annul the fact that South Africa attracts

African language travel students and that “the country is fast becoming a favorable

destination for English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners “(Correia, 2011:126).

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CHAPTER 3

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY

3.1. Research Design

Terre Blanche and Durrheim (1999: 33) identified four dimensions of design decisions which

include the following:

1- The purpose of the research;

2- The theoretical paradigm informing the research;

3- The context or situation within which the research is carried out and

4- The research techniques employed to collect and analyse data.

For this study, the research design used is empirical research doing a single case study on

one language school. “The essence of a case study, the central tendency among all types of

case study, is that it tries to illuminate a decision or a set of decisions: why they were taken,

how they were implemented, and with what results” (Yin, 2009:17). The single case study is

limited in that the findings that are made cannot be generalized as they apply to that

particular school. Nevertheless, this limitation can be overcome since according to Yin

(2009), case studies are like experiments and can therefore be generalized to theoretical

propositions and not to populations or universes. The design is qualitative in nature as it

seeks to understand students’ motivations to travel particularly to South Africa to learn

English. Considering the fact that the research targets English language learners only, the

sampling design used was the non-probability sampling and the sampling type was the

quota sampling. Proctor (2005:112) explained that “non-probability samples are ones in

which participants are selected in a purposeful way” while quota sampling is a procedure in

which the interviewer has the responsibility of choosing the respondents. This research

design has been chosen because it is more suitably used for a small number of people. The

appropriate paradigm for this research is the interpretive approach as it aims to explain the

subjective reasons and meanings that lie behind the social action (Terre Blanche, 1999).

The other dimensions of the research design decision are discussed in the research

methodology section below.

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3.2. Research Methodology

The information used to complete this research was obtained from existing youth travel and

related studies. Primary data collection relating to students at the school was also obtained

by means of a questionnaire.

In this regard the data collection tool that was used for this research is a structured

questionnaire. The questionnaire was administered to 30 students that are learning English

at ABC International. Considering the fact that the research is qualitative in nature, the

results will be interpreted and graphs will be used where appropriate to present the findings.

Questionnaires are advantageous in that they are economical, they supply standardized

answers and encourage pre-coded answers, and they are relatively easy to arrange too

(Denscombe, 2010:169).

The questionnaire consists essentially of closed questions and is divided into six sections.

The first section covers the biographic information of the respondent, the second relates to

the experience of the student, the third is about the student’s access to information and the

school, the fourth section gathers information on transport and accommodation, the fifth

covers the student’s expenditure and last section is about the future plan of the respondent.

The other tool planned for use to collect data during this research is in-depth interviews

which are often called “depths” and defined as “one-to-one conversations that do not use

questionnaires” (Bradley, 2007:243). These interviews were to be done with the head of the

school and few teachers at ABC International. As Bell (2010:161) put it, “the major

advantage of the interview is that of its adaptability’. In fact, interviewing is a mobile

technique and can take place wherever the respondent is, be it at his/her workplace, home

or in transit. Another advantage is that it allows a greater probing of the respondent and a

more intimate atmosphere; this enables the latter to be free from outside pressure and to

answer questions in his own way and at his own time (Bradley, 2007 & Baines, 2002).

The major disadvantage associated with the interviewing technique is that it is “costly and

time consuming to conduct and analyze” (Baines, 2002: 64). Besides, the interviewer must

adapt his skills to the situation and develop ways to deal with the attitude of the respondent

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(Bradley, 2007). Besides, Bell (2010) added that the interviewing technique is highly

subjective and can therefore be subjected to bias.

Nevertheless, due to the head of school time constraint and busy schedule, the interview did

not take place eventually. Likewise, the class schedule of the school made it impossible for

me to conduct an interview with a few teachers at the institution. As a result, the questions

that were meant for the interview were put in writing and handed over only to the head of

school for completion.

The data obtained from the questionnaires handed to the students and the head of school

were put and analyzed in an excel sheet. All quantitative information (except for information

pertaining to spending which were shown in South African Rand) was converted into

percentage in order to facilitate the analysis.

CHAPTER 4

DISCUSSION AND RESULTS OF FINDINGS

For the completion of this research, 30 questionnaires were administered to 30 students. All

the questionnaires were properly filled as the researcher doubled-checked each

questionnaire filled by the respondent. The questionnaires were completed in August 2011

by students from the class of intermediate level. The questionnaire covered areas relating to

the students personal experience, the mode of access to information pertaining to the

school, their expenditures in terms of transport, food and accommodation and their plans for

the future.

4.1. Students’ Biographic Information

At ABC International Language School, female students represent 57% of the sampled

population while male student represent 43%, as it is shown in the graph below.

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Figure 4.1: Gender of language students at ABC International

In terms of region, the overwhelming majority of the respondents originated from Africa

(90%) with only 10% coming from overseas (3% from Europe: Turkey and 7% from America:

Brazil). Nine (9) different nationalities are found in the population group selected and they

include Congolese, Gabonese, Angolan, Somalian, Turkish, Brazilian, Ethiopian,

Cameroonian and Ivorian students. Among the students coming from Africa, Congolese

students were the highest in number as they represent 49% of the sampled population.

Turkey and Ivory Coast are the countries with the lowest representation of 3% each. Still in

terms of rankings, Gabon follows Congo in second position with 17% while Angola, Somalia,

Brazil, Ethiopia and Cameroon all occupy the 3rd rand, with each representing 7% of all the

nationalities.

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

Male Female

Pe

rce

nta

ge (%

)

Student Gender Ratio

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.

Figure 4.2: Nationalities of students

In terms of education, most of the students are at high school level or have completed high

school level and are holder of a certificate. Students with a degree represent 7% of the

students; those who reached post-graduate level represent 13% while 3% of the students

are holder of a doctorate.

Figure 4.3: Educational level of students

05

101520253035404550

Per

ceb

tage

(%)

Student Nationality

05

101520253035404550

Per

cen

tage

(%)

Highest qualification

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The average age of the students at ABC is 24 years old, with 60% of the student being in

the age range of 20 to 24years. The definition of youth travel mentions the fact that it

involves people that are aged between 15-29 years old; in the light of this definition, 83% of

the students at ABC language school fall within that age category. As the figure below

depicts, 13% of the students are 30 years old and above, with one person in that category

being 65 years, 2 students in the early thirties and 1 student in the early forties. Therefore,

17% of the students at the school falls out the cut-off point or age range set by the WTO

youth travel definition.

Figure 4.4: Age range of students at ABC International

4.2. Experience

This section is about the student experience in South Africa, their like and dislike, as well as,

the reason why they have chosen SA particularly as an English language learning

destination.

In terms of experience, 87 per cent of the students identified crime as the major elements

they disliked about the country. Crime was followed by the cost of living and food.

Respondents found that South Africa was an expensive destination and complained about

the coldness of the country. This is not surprising as the overwhelming majority of

respondents come from African with lower living standard than South Africa and where there

4

10

60

13 13

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

Less than 15 15 - 19 20-24 25-29 30 and above

Per

cen

tage

(%)

Age Range

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is no winter, but rather seasons; namely the rainy season and the sunny season. Only 7 per

cent of the student complained about the food and 3 per cent of the student fall within the

category “other” whereby rape, xenophobia and discrimination were mentioned as things

that are abhorred in the country.

Figure 4.5: Students experience

As far as choosing South Africa as English language learning destination is concerned, the

majority of students which represent 57% of the respondents indicated that they chose

South Africa mainly because they knew family member or friends who either lives, works or

study in the country. This is not surprising as it will be shown that most of these students live

with their relatives/family members. Consequently, it can be assumed from this fact that the

volume of regional language travel students is directly linked to the presence of a family

member in South Africa and most of these language students will not find their way in the

country if it was otherwise. This finding has also been revealed by Correia’s study (2011)

whereby most students stated that they chose to learn English in the country because they

had family members who already live here. In second position, the respondent cited

affordability as being a determining factor for choosing South Africa as an English language

learning destination. This factor was respectively followed by the ease to get a visa (with

Brazilians and Turkish who do not have to get a visa to enter the country), and the people.

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

Crime Cost of living Food Weather Other

Exp

eri

en

ce (

%)

Experience

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In the category labeled “other”, the respondent indicated that South Africa offers a better

education than other African countries.

Figure 4.6: Reasons for choosing SA as an English Language Learning Destination

Still as part of the experience, students where asked about the activities they partook in

besides the English course. And as it can be seen in the table below, students mainly

engage in entertaining activities such as going to cinema, parties and clubbing. This aspect

substantiates well the aforementioned fact cited by the UNWTO and the WYSE which

declared that young people add a buzz to a destination and causes it to be vibrant. The

second activity in which students engaged in apart from entertainment was shopping, with

30% of respondents partaking in it. Visiting other towns was also a common for students.

Hence, the three activities that have just been mentioned are the ones in which students

mostly take part in. Nevertheless, they are not really fan for visiting parks and museums

and very few students do “nothing” apart from the English course. Still, very few engage in

“other” activities such as “doing research” and “going to the mosque” as indicated by two

respondents.

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

Pe

rce

nta

ge (%

) Reasons for choosing SA and an ELD

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Table 4.1: Extramural activities undertaken by students

Extramural Activities Percentage of students

Entertainment (cinema, clubbing, partying)

Shopping

Visiting other towns

Going to parks/museums

Nothing

Other

43%

30%

27%

13%

7%

7%

4.3. Access to information and ABC International Language school

The mode of access to information used by students included 8 categories (internet, social

network, recommendation from family and friends, language school agents, newspapers,

brochures, travel agents/magazines and others). As it can be noticed in the figure below, the

students did not make use of 4 types of information sources, namely social networks,

newspapers, brochures and travel agents/magazines. 72 percent of the students at ABC

international language school find information pertaining to the school through family and

friends. This is not surprising considering the fact that the majority of those students live with

a family member(s) or relative(s) and the latter may either strongly influence, advise or

determine to which school the student will go prior to his/her arrival in the country. 16

percent of the students found information about the school through the internet while 6

percent did so through a language travel agent and other sources. In this latter category

(other), one student got to know about the school through the embassy while another

student stated that she came across the school while walking on the street / passing in the

area. Nevertheless, it has been seen from the literature review that most language students

find a school through an agent, which is not the case for language students at ABC

international. And considering the fact that the majority of those students originate from

Africa, it can be said the use of travel agents is common among overseas students whereas

African students mainly rely on the advice of friends or family members to find a school.

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Figure 4.7: Source of information about the school

The students were also asked what their motivations were for choosing ABC International in

particular and 40 per cent of the respondents stated the “reputation of the school” as being

their prime motivation. The second motivation with a share of 20 per cent was the category

“other” where most of the students indicated they “did not have a choice”; they just went to

the school because that is where their relative(s) wanted them to go. This can be confirmed

by the fact that the main source of information about the school for students is their family or

friends as seen above. Under this same category, one student said that he chose this

school because it was the first one that he found while the other one said that the school

helped him to get the visa easily. Being acquainted to number of language students who

have chosen the school particularly because of the visa, the researcher confirms this fact as

true. Both the reputation of the school and the price represent the third motivation that

pushes students to choose ABC international. The location of the school plays an

insignificant role in the choice of the school as it represents only 6% of the total share.

16%

0%

72%

6%

0% 0% 0%

6%

Information source/Marketing

Internet

Social Network

Recommendations fromfamily and friendsLanguage School agent

Newspapers

Brochures

Travel agents/magazines

Others

23 | P a g e

Figure 4.8: Reasons for choosing ABC International language school

Unsurprisingly, the majority of students which represents 63 per cent of all respondents,

attended English language courses for further study purposes at tertiary education level.

Likewise, a study done in Cape Town by Pandit (2005) revealed this same trend among

Chinese students in the early 2000’s as most of them came to South Africa to learn English

in order to further their tertiary education. In this regard, language students can be

considered as future international students of tertiary education (or secondary education

depending on their educational level). Looking into the future, it can be said that this future

international students will generate a significant VFR’s relative market as mentioned by

Davidson (2010) and Blundell (2009).

In second position, 30 per cent of the students do English courses for future career

purposes while in third position, 17 per cent of the respondents indicated that they did it for

personal language improvement purposes. Nevertheless, it should be mentioned that some

students chose more than one reason or made a combination of two reasons, namely

further study purposes and future career purposes or for personal language improvement or

career purposes.

17%

40% 17%

6%

20%

Reasons for choosing ABC

Good Price

Quality of Education

Reputation of school

Location

Other

24 | P a g e

Figure 4.9: Purpose of study

4.4. Accommodation and transport

The figure below shows the type accommodation used by student on the left hand side of

the graph while its right hand side shows with whom the student lives/stays. From the figure

below, on can see that flat is the most common type of accommodation in which students

live, making up 50 per cent of the students. House is the second most common type of

accommodation among students with 43 per cent of them living in the latter. A meager 7

percent of the students live in student accommodation while none of the respondents live in

a guest house.

73 per cent of the respondents live with relatives or family members, 30 per cent live with

friends, 10 per cent live alone while 3 percent live with a host family.. But contrastingly to

study at hand, Correia’s study revealed that

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

For Further StudyPurposes

For Personal LanguageImprovement

For Career Purposes

Pe

rce

nta

ge (%

)

Purpose of study

25 | P a g e

Figure 4.10: Accommodation type

As far as transport is concerned, students were asked what mode of transportation they

used to come to South and within South Africa. Like the figure above, the figure below

shows two categories of information. The first 3 bars on the left hand side of the graph

represent the mode to transportation used by students to come to South Africa, while the

last 6 bars on the right hand side of the graph represent the mode of transportation used by

student within the country or during their stay in the country.

83 per cent of the student made use of the plane of the come to South Africa, 17 per cent

made used of either a bus or a car, 3 per cent made used of both a boat and a bus/car and

zero per cent of the respondent made use of a train. The students who made use of the

bus/car are those coming from nearby countries such as Angola and a few from Congo.

However, the result of the findings reveals that a Gabonese used the bus to come to South

Africa and a Somalian student used both a boat and a bus/car.

For movements within the country, half of the students indicated that they used the bus,

while 40 percent used taxis (minibus/combis). 23 per cent of the students stated that they

made use of their own transport, 13 percent moved around by foot, 7 percent by train and 3

percent made use of car rental. Nonetheless, it should be mentioned that some student use

both the bus and taxis, others make use of the train, taxi and walk by foot, still some other

01020304050607080

Pe

rce

nta

ge (%

)

Accommodation

26 | P a g e

students use the bus, taxi and their own transport; but the general trend is that most of the

students make use of more than one means of transportation or make of combination of 2 to

3 means of transport. The fact that the bus is cheap (when trips are bought monthly or when

using a tag), safe and convenient can justify why most students use it.

Figure 4.11: Mode of transportation used to come to South Africa and used within South

Africa

4.5. Expenditures of language students at ABC International

The figure below shows the monthly average expenditures of language students at ABC

International as related to the English course, accommodation, food, transport, personal

needs and other stuff on a monthly basis. The last bar on the right hand side of the graph

which represents what students spent on transport to come to South Africa has not been

included in the overall spending since it is a once off spending which do not occur on a

monthly basis like accommodation, food etc.

Accommodation, course fees and food are respectively the top three categories in which

students spend most of their money. However, as regard to accommodation, one should

consider the fact that most of these students live with their family member or relatives and

may not actually spend on accommodation as it is reflected on the figure below. This implies

that a small proportion of students at ABC international actually spend on accommodation;

0102030405060708090

Pe

rce

nta

ge

Mode of transport (to come to SA and within SA)

27 | P a g e

and those who really spend may spend less than R 3403 which is the average monthly

spending on accommodation. The figure also reveals that students spend quite a lot on

personal needs with an average of R 1048 per month; whereas on transport (within South

Africa) and other stuff they spend respectively as little as R 622 and R 300 per month on

average. But each student spent R 5525 in average on transport in order to come to South

Africa. The monthly overall spending of each language student at ABC International

amounts to R 7552, and this amount excludes fares to come to the country. This means that

a student spends R 13077 (summation of the ‘monthly overall spending’: 7552 and

‘transport to SA’: 5525) on average exclusively in his/her first month in South Africa. Hence,

the overall yearly average income per student amounts to the huge sum of R 96149.

Figure 4.12: Average monthly spending of students at ABC International

Still in the section dealing with expenditures, students were asked about the person paying

for their studies and 80% of them replied that their parents were the ones in charge of their

studies. 13 % of the students indicated they were self-sponsored and they were all above

thirty and attended English language courses for further career and personal language

improvement purposes. For the remaining 7 percent of the students who chose the category

1840

3403

1328

622 1048

300

7552

5525

0

1000

2000

3000

4000

5000

6000

7000

8000

(in

Ran

ds)

Spending

28 | P a g e

‘other’ as their sponsor, one student stated that her sponsors were volunteers and relatives

while the other student stated that her husband was.

Figure 4.13: Sponsor of students at ABC International

4.6. Future plans

This section covers three aspects; namely the duration of the course, the total length of stay

in the country and the what the students intends to do after completing their English course.

As far as the duration of the course is concerned, almost half of the students (43%)

mentioned that they will be attending the English course for a period of 10 to 12months. 27

percent of the students will be attending the course during 7 to 9 months, 23 percent will do

so for 4 to 6 months while 7 percent will spend 1 to 3 months at the school.

80

13 0 7 0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

Parents Myself Employer/work Others

Pe

rce

nta

ge (%

) Sponsor

29 | P a g e

Figure 4.14: Duration of the English course

As for the total length of stay in the country, the majority (53%) of the student stated that

they will be in South Africa for 3 to 5 years. This is not surprising since most of them need to

pursue their education at the tertiary level. In second position, 17 percent of the students

chose the category ‘other’ where some indicated that they were uncertain for how long they

will be staying in the country and other indicated that they will stay in the country

permanently. 10% of the students stated that their total length of stay in the country will be 1

to 2 years and 6 to 8 years. And only 3 percent of the students will remain in the country for

one year.

1 to 3 Months 4 to 6 months 7 to 9 months 10 to 12 months

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

50Percentage (%)

Course duration

30 | P a g e

Figure 4.15: Total length of stay in South Africa

Students were asked what they planned to do after completing their English course. 80

percent stated that they intend to study in the country, 10% said they will travel to another

country, 7 percent said they will go to work in their country, 3 percent mentioned that they

will study in another country, another 3 percent said they will work in the country and none

of the students mentioned that they will study in their country or work in another country. As

it is reflected on the graph below, it can be said with certainty that the majority of language

students at ABC international intends to further their studies in South Africa and will become

an important market of international students. Once these language students will be

international students, their expenditure will increase and they will bring other advantages.

In terms of expenditures, the amount they spend on airfare or on transport to come to South

Africa for instance will increase because most students travel to their country or to another

country at least once during their academic career. And in terms of bringing other

advantages, it has been mentioned earlier through the fact that international students

normally receive visits from their friends and relatives.

7%

10%

53%

10%

3%

17%

Total Length of Stay

< 1 Year

1 to 2 Years

3 to 5 Years

6 to 8 Years

≤ 9 Years

Other

31 | P a g e

Figure 4.16: Future plans

4.7. Findings of the interview with the principal of the school

The interview that was held with the founder and principal of ABC International language

school, Mrs. Kim Wetzl, revealed that the school was created in the year 1994 (hence, it has

been operating for 14 years) with the aim to offer an opportunity for both national and

international learners to learn English at an affordable price. The first three letters of the

school represent the three letters of the alphabet and the adjective ‘international’ was used

firstly because the school receives an international clientele and secondly because the main

mission of the school is to go international. The school is currently in the process of

expanding internationally and has registered trademarks in 27 countries.

Unlike other language schools around the world such as ELICOS (English Language

Intensive Courses for Overseas Students) colleges in Australia which are part of an

association (Blundell, 2009), ABC international is not part of a chain/association of language

schools but rather thrives well on its own.

The principal stated that the school receives approximately 5000 students each year and

that the number of students the school receives has increased since its establishment. The

reason being is that the school has become more popular due to the innovative teaching

methodologies and the technology used.

80

0 3 7 10 3 7

0

Study inSA

Study inmy

country

StudyElsewhere

Travel tomy

country

Travelelsewhere

Work inSA

Work inmy

country

Workelsewhere

Future plans

32 | P a g e

Unlike the findings of the questionnaire which showed that females dominates males in the

school, the principal revealed the opposite with the gender male dominating and accounting

for 65% of the students while the other 35% are female. This trend has not changed

drastically over the past decade. The majority of the students at the school come from

African countries such as the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Angola, and Ivory

Coast; with a small percentage coming from Asia, South America and United Arab Emirates

(UAE). The principal was asked to classify these nationalities by order of prominence and

she listed DRC, Angola, Gabon, Congo Brazzaville, Mozambique and Somalia as the most

common countries; and Brazil together with the UAE was listed as the least common. This

information partly confirms the findings of the questionnaires as far as Congo and Brazil are

concerned, except with the questionnaire DRC was not differentiated from Congo

Brazzaville. The questionnaire also showed that Gabon and Angola held the second and

third rank respectively whereas the head of school revealed that it is the opposite. This is

understandable since the number of respondents was very limited and it is impossible for a

single class to be the exact representation of a whole school.

The majority of the students at the school are between 19 and 25 years old, this figure

confirms the results of the questionnaire as the average age was 24 and it falls within the

age range given by the principal. The latter stated that this age range changes at certain

times of the year, especially during school holidays as many youngsters under the age of 19

attend the school. Like any other tourism business, the school is affected by seasonality.

March, April and May are the busiest month of the year and winter months such June and

July are the least busy.

The school offer language courses ranging from the elementary level through to advance

level and the courses range from R1001 to R 2000. Each course level last a calendar month

which is 4 weeks. Apart from English language courses, the school offers other services

such as Petroleum Online and Premier safety. The school also assists students in finding

accommodation essentially in host families.

The school also encourages a culture of tourism among language students as it offers them

the opportunity to on excursions each year. These excursions usually happens three times a

year and students are taken to three distinct place; namely Soweto, Gold Reef City and Sun

City.

33 | P a g e

The school markets itself mainly through word-of-mouth and brochures. The head of school

stated that these marketing techniques have been applied for years and also emphasized

that the school relies mostly on word-of-mouth, which is what the results of the

questionnaires revealed as 72% of the respondents indicated that they knew about the

school through the recommendations of family and friends.

The challenges that the school face are copywrite and xenophobia. As far as xenophobia is

concerned, the head of school stated that they do not get any support from the government

and that the latter is not keen on foreigner and therefore unwilling to help. The challenges

that ABC International face are different from those challenges that tend to be common in

the industry such visa regulations.

4.8. Limitations of the research

It goes without saying that this research is bound to have limitations, considering the limited

number of participants. In fact, only 30 students participated in the questionnaire and they

represent only a small proportion of the total number of language students of the concerned

school. As a consequence, the findings of this research may apply solely to the language

school under discussion and cannot be considered as applying to other language schools.

Added to the above, the data collection instrument was limited to a set of language students

being at the same level, which is the intermediate class. This class cannot be representative

of all the nationalities found at the school and the findings might not be a true reflection of

the reality. Future research should involve as many respondents as possible and expand to

other schools in Johannesburg or even in Gauteng province, in order to gain a more

comprehensive analysis of language students travel motivation and expenditures.

34 | P a g e

CHAPTER 5

CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS

With the development of the global economy and the internationalization of the English

language, the need to learn the latter has become a necessity for any individual wishing to

be part of the global system. It if this specific reason that is responsible for the movement of

young people worldwide. However, youth travel has always been considered as a negligible

tourism sector owing to the fact that the student market was underestimated at the

international scale Correia (2011:60). But this perception has changed when the potentials

of this market segment have been realized. In South Africa, the demise of the apartheid

system has prompted the establishment and development of the Language travel industry,

with Cape Town being the main destination for international language students while

Gauteng receives mainly regional language students.

The aim of this research was to find out what the travel motivations and expenditures of

language students were. In this respect, the study revealed that most students chose South

Africa as an English language learning destination because they had family members living

already in the country. This serves as a fact since it has been confirmed by a study done by

Correia (2011). It was also found that the majority of students at ABC international take up

language courses for further study purposes. As far as expenditure is concerned, it was

found that students spend mostly on accommodation, the English course and food

respectively. The average monthly spending of language students amounts to R 7552 in

average, which represents an average of R 245 per day. It is expected that South Africa will

experience a huge increase in the expenditure of language students in the area as the latter

are future international language students who will spend a lot more a tertiary education

level and generate bonus spending through friends and relatives visitation market as pointed

out by Davidson et al. (2010).

With a South Africa that wants to see herself globally competitive with other leading

language destinations, it needs to be born in mind that in so doing, regional tourists or youth

travel should not be neglected as they can be force to reckon on. Besides, as much is not

known about youth travel in South Africa and mindful of the fact that the current study is very

limited in scope, further research need to be done so as to have a comprehensive

knowledge of this market and to better capitalize on its potentials.

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REFERENCES

ABC International (1994-2011). Education Beyond Borders, available at

http://www.abcinternational.co.za [Accessed 5 March 2011]

Australia Education International (2006). Study pathways of International Students in

Australia through the ELICOS sector, 2002 to 2005.

Baines, P. & Chansakar,B. (2002). Introducing Marketing Research. England: John Wiley

and Sons Ltd.

Baker, A. (2004). South Africa Steps up. Language Travel Magazine. (February), 17.

Bell, J. (2010). Doing Your Research Project. A guide for first time researchers in education,

health and social science. (5th Ed.)England: Open University press.

Blundell, S. (2006) Leading trends indicators – an ELICOS sector perspective. Australian

International Education Conference 2006 - www.aiec.idp.com/aiec. (October) 1-16.

Blundell, S. (2009). Language Travel – Education Tourism. Darwin Australia. Paper

presented at the 2009 ATEC Backpacker Conference, 28-29 April

Boekstein, M. (2010). Students as Tourists: A Profile of English Language Learners in Cape

Town.Tourism Recreation Research, 35(1), 91-95.

Bradley, N. (2007). Marketing Research Tools and Techniques. United States: Oxford

University Press.

Cooper, S. (2007). Youth Tourism – The Travel Industry’s Boom Sector. WYSE travel

confederation. Istanbul.

Correia, M. (2011). Youth travel in South Africa: the case of language travel. Tourism

Review International, vol. 15, 123-133.

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Davidson, M., Wilkins, H., King, B., Hobson, P., Craig-Smith, S., & Gardiner, S. (2010).

International Education Visitation – Tourism Opportunities. Queensland, Australia. Centre

for Tourism, Sport and Service Innovation.

Denscombe, M. (2010).The good research guide for small-scale social research projects.(4th

Ed.) England: McGraw-Hill Open University Press.

Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Republic of South Africa. Backpacking and youth

travel in South Africa, available at

http://www.economic.gov.za/publications/Backpackingpublication.pdf , [accessed on

10/06/2011]

Department of Tourism, Republic of South Africa. (2011). National Tourism Sector Strategy

Donaldson, R., & Gatsinzi, J. (2005). Foreign Students as Tourists: Educational Tourism, a

Market Segment with Potential. Africa Insight, 35(3), 19-24

English Australia- EA (2010). Global Language Travel. EA Fact Sheet. Global English

Travel. Language travel Magazine. (November), 1-2

Indecon International Economic Consultants (2007). International Competitor Analysis and

Benchmarking of Ireland English Language Learning Sector: Dublin, Ireland: Indecon.

Language Travel Magazine (2006). South Africa. Language Travel Magazine, (July), 141.

Language Travel Magazine (2011). South Africa 2009. Language Travel Magazine,

(February) 52.

Malta Tourism Authority (2010). The English Language Travel Market in Malta 2009. Valleta,

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Moisă, C. (2007). The global importance of the youth travel, AnaleleUniversităţii din Oradea,

ŞtiinteEconomice, Tom XVI, p. 440-443.

Moisa, C.O. (2010). Aspects of the Youth Travel Demand. Annales Universitatis Apulensis

Series Oeconomica, 12(2), 575-582.

Pandit, G.H. (2005). Global Student Migration patterns reflect and strengthen the hegemony

of English as a global lingua franca: A case study ofChinese students at three tertiary

institutions in Cape Town inthe period 2002 – 2004. South Africa : University of the Western

Cape.

Pearce, P. & Son, A., (2004). Youth tourism markets in Australia: Comparing the travel behaviours of international English language students and backpackers. Tourism, (4), 341-350.

Pike, J. (2006). The youth travel market. Travel Agent (November). 327(10), 61-62

Proctor, T. (2005). Essentials of Marketing Research. (4th Ed.) Harlow (England): Pearson

Education Limited

Richards, G. (2006). ISTC/UNWTO Survey on Student and Youth Tourism among National

Tourism Organizations. In UNWTO (Ed.), Tourism Market Trends 2005 –World Overview

and Tourism Topics, (pp. 95-123). Madrid: UNWTO.

Richards, G. (2009). ALTO’s Global Directions in Language Travel, 2009. Amsterdam,

WYSE Travel Confederation.

Richards, G., & Wilson, J. (2005). Youth Tourism – Finally coming to age? In M. Novelli

(Ed.), Niche Tourism: Contemporary issues, trends and cases (pp.39-46). Amsterdam:

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Rogerson, C.M. (2011). Youth Tourism in Africa: Evidence from South Africa. Tourism

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glishLanguageProviders_HOTPYeMar10/Technical%20Notes.aspx [Accessed on the

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39 | P a g e

APPENDICES

APPENDIX A

LETTER OF INFORMED CONSENT

Title: Travel Motivations and Expenditure of Language Students in South Africa:

The Case Study of ABC International in Johannesburg

Department of Tourism and Hospitality

University of Johannesburg

Investigator: Ngaffi Ngalani Estelle-Elisée

Supervisor: Miss Maisa Correia

Tel.: (011) 559 1163

mcorreia@uj.ac.za

1. The main purpose of this study is: to find the reasons why foreign students come to study

English in South Africa and what their expenditures are.

The overall study design will require that I participate in a questionnaire and interview for the data

collection of the development project indicated above.

2. Confidentiality

I understand that the information provided by this study may be used for research purposes, including

publications in research journals. All individual information will be coded and at no time will my

personal identity be revealed.

3. Voluntary participation

The purpose of the study has been explained to me. I understand that participation in this study is

voluntary and refusal to participate will involve no penalty or loss of benefits to which I am otherwise

entitled. I may terminate my participation at any time I choose, without penalty. I understand that I

may withdraw from participation at any point in the study with no penalty.

4. Benefits of participation

The benefits of participating in this study are to further research only. The University of

Johannesburg will not receive any money to conduct this study. My participation will make a

contribution to further understanding of how language students will impact tourism in South Africa.

40 | P a g e

5. Remuneration: I understand that I will not receive money or any other reward for participation.

In acknowledgement of informed consent please your initials here: _______________

Date: _______________

APPENDIX B

Travel Motivations and Expenditure of Language Students in South Africa:

The Case Study of ABC International in Johannesburg

Language Students Questionnaire

Below is a list of questions concerning your experience as an English language learner in

South Africa. Please consider each question and mark your response with an “X” in the

relevant box provided and where appropriate, provide an explanation in the lines provided.

______________________________________________________________________

A- Biographic Information

1. Gender: Male Female

2. Age : _____________________________________________________

3. Nationality: _________________________________________________

4. Highest Level of Education:

Primary School Diploma

High School Degree

Certificate Postgraduate Degree

Postgraduate Diploma Doctorate

Other (Please specify)

___________________________________________________________________

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B- Experience

5. Why have you chosen South Africa as an English Language Learning Destination?

Affordability Good weather

Easy to get a visa I don’t need a visa

The People (culture) My family/friends live/work/study

here

Other (Please specify)

______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

6. What do you dislike about South Africa?

Crime Food

Cost of living Weather

Other (Please specify)

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

7. What activities have you taken part in besides your English courses? (e.g. visit

museums, clubbing, going to cinema, going to parks, visiting other towns etc)

______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

C- Access to Information and School

8. How did you find out about ABC International?

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Internet Newspapers Brochures

Social Network (facebook, twitter etc) Travel Agents

Recommendations from family and friends Magazines

Language School Agent in my country

Other (Please specify) _________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

9. Why did you choose ABC in particular?

Good price Quality of education

Reputation of the school Location

Other (Please specify) _________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

10. Why are you learning English?

For further study purposes

For personal language improvement

For career purposes

Other (Please specify) _________________________________________________

D- Accommodation and Transport

11. What type of accommodation do you stay in and with whom?

Flat Alone

House With host family

Student accommodation with friends

Guest house with relatives/family member(s)

Other (Please specify) _________________________________________________

12. What mode of transportation did you use to come to South Africa?

Plane Boat

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Train Bus/Car

13. What mode of transportation do you use daily in Johannesburg?

Bus Train

Taxi Own car

Walking Car rental

E- Spending

14. Who is paying for your stay here?

Bursar Myself

Parents Employer/work

Other (Please specify) ________________________________________

15. Give an estimation of how much you spend per month on the following (please

specify currency):

English course: ______________________________________

Accommodation: _____________________________________ Food: ______________________________________________

Transport: __________________________________________

Personal needs: _____________________________________

Other (Please specify) ___________________________________________

F- Future plans

16. What is the duration of your course? ___________________________________

17. How long is your total stay in South Africa? ______________________________

18. What are you planning to do after completing the English course?

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Carry on with education/schooling

In South Africa In my country Elsewhere

Travel to another country

In South Africa In my country Elsewhere

Find a job

In South Africa In my country Elsewhere

Other (Please specify) ________________________________________________

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APPENDIX C

Travel Motivations and Expenditure of Language Students in South Africa:

The Case Study of ABC International in Johannesburg

Language School Interview Questions

General information

Contact Person: _________________________________________________________

Contact Number: _________________________________________________________

Email: _________________________________________________________________

Website: _______________________________________________________________

About the school

1. What was the rationale behind its creation?

______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

2. Why did you name the School ABC International?

______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

3. How long has the school been in operation?

______________________________________________________________________

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4. Do you have other branches nationwide and worldwide? If yes, where?

______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

5. Are you running the school as sole operator or do you have partners?

______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

6. Are you part of a chain/association of language schools? Yes No

7. If yes provide the following:

Name of the Organization: _______________________________________________

Number of schools falling under the chain: _______________________________

Location of those schools: _______________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

Benefits associated with such an organization: _______________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

If there are no benefits, explain why: _______________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

Students and Services

8. On average, how many students do you receive annually?

______________________________________________________________________

9. How has the number of students decreased or increased over the past decade and what

do you think is the reason for that trend?

______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

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10. Between male and females students which gender tends to dominate? What percentage

can you attribute to each gender?

______________________________________________________________________

11. Has this trend been the same over the past decade or has it changed drastically? Why?

______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

12. What are the most common nationalities of students at your school?

______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

13. Can you classify them by order of prominence? (i.e. most common to least common)

______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

14. Has these nationalities and importance changed over time? If so, how?

______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

15. How old are the students? Or what is their age range?

Less than 18 19 – 25

25 – 32 33 – 40 41 and above

15.1. Has it changed over time? If yes, How?

______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

16. What are your busiest months of the year (as well as the least busy)?

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______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

Language School offerings and prices

17. What language courses do you offer?

______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

18. What is the average cost of your courses?

Less than R 1000 1001 – 2000 2001 - 3000

3001 – 4000 4001 – 5000 5001 and above

19. How long on average do your courses last? ___________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

20. What other services does your school offer apart from language courses?

______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

21. If you provide accommodation, what type is it?

School residences Host families

Guesthouse Hotel

Other (Please specify) _________________________________________________

22. What extra activities do you attach to your course?

Tours

Excursion

Entertainment

Others (Please specify) ________________________________________________

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Marketing

23. How do you market your school? Which form of marketing works best for you?

Internet Travel Agents/Tour Operators

Brochures Magazines

Word-of-mouth Newspapers

Other (specify) __________________________________________________________

24. Have your marketing techniques changed over the years and why/why not?

______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

Challenges, Opportunities and Future Prospects

25. Why did you move from your previous location?

______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

26. What benefits does your current location offer?

______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

27. What challenges do you face as a language school operator? (e.g. visas, fraud, crime,

corruption, etc)

______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

28. Do you get any support from the government/tourism industry?

Yes No

29. Do you experience any problem with the local government?

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______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

30. How competitive is the industry in the area?

______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

31. Has the industry been affected by the financial crisis in recent years?

______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

32. What do you foresee for the future of the South African language travel industry?

______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

33. What are your future plans for the school?

______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________