From experience to classroom activities: Preparing eil hosts for visitors to thailand

Abstract

Through the lens of English as an International Language (EIL), this study investigates experience and linguistic challenges university students and tour guides in Thailand have when hosting foreign visitors, and how those challenges can be addressed in classroom activities. A questionnaire was distributed to 113 university students and 70 tour guides. Additionally, interviews with seven students and two tour guides were employed for data triangulation. It was found that the participants most frequently took visitors to historical places and had problems with specialized vocabulary and Thai culture-specific words. Visitors’ accent also hindered the success in hosting visitors. A two-hour session incorporating EIL tenets of communication strategies and inter-cultural sensitivity that addressed vocabulary problems was implemented with 26 students. This study is hoped to provide insights into real experience and commonly found linguistic problems for visitor hosts. This can lead to informed decision of English for Tourism course designers and teachers.