Youth tourism in South Africa: the case of language travel
Date
2011-09-23
Authors
Correia, Maisa
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Abstract
Language travel has become a growing industry under the youth travel umbrella. Key
destination countries such as Australia, USA and the UK have recognised this industry as a
significant contributor to their tourism economy. Despite these initiatives to actively develop
language tourism as a major incoming market, little attention has been paid to language travel
in research, especially in South Africa. It is shown that language schools are unevenly
distributed across the country. In South Africa, the Western Cape (Cape Town in particular)
dominates the local language travel industry, followed by Gauteng. The study analyses the
organisation and development of the language travel industry in South Africa as part of the
country’s youth tourism economy. It is shown that considerable differences exist between
coastal language schools and inland schools. Although both operate in the same industry there
are marked differences in operation and source markets for students. This report explores
South Africa’s language travel industry in terms of its position in the global language travel
industry, its development, size, key role players, structure, operation, and significance for the
greater South African tourism economy