Foreign assets

People often fail to realise that English language students are tourists and should be treated as such. Unfortunately, the bad behaviour of some students has served to fuel a sense of dread and intolerance towards these "foreign bodies". Claudia Calleja learns about the main issues surrounding this form of tourism which, like others, is important to our economy.

Language students have been described as "raucous", "appalling", "irresponsible" and even as "juvenile delinquents".

Surely these sweeping generalisations are tempting to make, but can it be that these descriptive terms apply to all the estimated 60,000 students who visited our islands last year?

The Federation of English Language Teaching Organisations Malta (Feltom) and the Malta Tourism Authority (MTA) are very concerned that the bad publicity faced by language students, which has already started to re-appear in the papers this year, could be more damaging than the behaviour of the student.

In a series of letters to the editor published last month, readers voiced their views about the subject. One woman wrote that to her students "represent gritted teeth and sheer frustration night after night throughout the summer".

A man wrote: "Some of them think they can do whatever they feel like... Are the language schools educating them properly when it comes to their behaviour in public?"

Concerned about such comments, Feltom president John Dimech said: "In a way I don't blame people as they only know what they see... This needs to be addressed by the stakeholders and Feltom has just drawn up a plan which was presented to the authorities this week.

"We also encourage all schools to control organised outings better and to insist with students on the need to avoid vandalism, indecency and the lack of cleanliness in the public places they frequent, as well as to inform students about a list of Do's and Don'ts which was distributed by the MTA towards the end of last summer."

Maurice Rizzo, general manager at EC Language School, explained how on arrival junior students are given a code of conduct that outlines how they are to behave and ensures that they are aware of the legal consequences of actions and the dangers of drugs and alcohol, among other things.

If a student is found in breach of the code, s/he is warned and so are her/his parents and host family or residential accommodator. Apart from this, junior students, who are under the supervision of trained staff, are always given a curfew and ongoing communication with their place of residence ensures that they stick to it.

Besides, when dealing with the younger students, Mr Rizzo said, the school aims at providing activities and means of entertainment, which are all non-alcoholic events, and which appeal to the students so to avoid them wandering off to destinations like Paceville.

He added that one of the biggest difficulties is enforcement. If the students, who are under the legal drinking age, are not sold alcohol a lot of problems could be avoided.

Mr Rizzo then voiced another concern shared by his colleague Andrew Mangion, the school's CEO. "One of my worries is that I feel the level of spoken English in the country needs to be safeguarded or else we risk the loss of this English speaking identity," Mr Rizzo said.

Mr Mangion added that whereas Malta competes with practically every other country in the tourism market, when it came to the market of English as a foreign language (EFL) Malta stands at a strong advantage. "The message to be transmitted is that we need to look after our English to ensure we don't lose the perception of Malta as an English speaking country. This is a big, insidious and potential threat.... This is an industry where we need to manage perception," Mr Mangion said.

This brings us back to the issue of the negative perception of language students. Lisa Cassar and Jacqueline Harvey - the customer relations officer and programmes' manager respectively at the school - together with group leader Jamie Debono all work closely with the students.

All agreed that the negative perception of students, especially the juniors, was not a fair one as it was a generalisation. "Most of the students are quality students who really come here to learn English," Ms Cassar said.

"It is true that there are some arrogant ones but it's also true that many are shy and really nice," Mr Debono added. Building on her colleagues' words Ms Harvey went on to add: "The Maltese should be proud that these students want to come here. At the end of the day they are boosting our economy."

Language tourism

Feltom and MTA have been working together to strengthen the language learning industry which they know is an important pillar in the tourism market.

Imagine, statistics show that an estimated 60,000 plus students who visited Malta last year yielded an estimated Lm25 million, representing some eight per cent of the estimated foreign earnings from tourism and well over 1,500 jobs.

"Language students are very much a part of our business mix, and account for approximately five per cent of our tourist arrivals. This niche market is a growing sector and with almost 50 schools on the islands it provides for the employment of teachers, especially during the summer months, and leads to the need for host families," explained Alexandra Valletta, the segment head within MTA's English language learning industry segment.

According to Feltom's Mr Dimech - who has been recently appointed head of the English Language Teaching (ELT) Advisory Committee of the MTA - this sector is still growing.

"We strongly believe that this could reach even higher growth figures, close to 100,000 students per year, in five to 10 years, if the authorities were to introduce a student visa as this will facilitate market growth to the benefit of the national economy," he said.

Let them in - student visa
"Undoubtedly, the main issue faced by Feltom is the lack of a set criterion for an entry visa for students or simply the lack of a student visa," Mr Dimech continued.

This sector has the potential to grow by increasing the number of students from visa countries - non-EU, South America and Asia - which are the high growth markets according to international surveys.

In the past years, he said, Feltom has had several meetings with the authorities about this. "While we appreciate that immigration is a very delicate matter because of security reasons, as well as being a very politically sensitive issue at the moment, we feel that the members of the executive board of Feltom have an abundance of expertise in our sector and can contribute towards the success of the ELT sector in Malta by recommending various ideas.

"We envisage a student visa that would have clear, if stringent, procedures but one which would be available for a six to 12-month period rather than the 30-day renewable one at present. Feltom would also like to see a system that is practical and student/agent-friendly."

The student visa issue is made more complicated due to the migration problem. For example, since nine Chinese nationals died off the coast of Ragusa as they made their way across the Mediterranean as illegal immigrants last year, the authorities had decided to stop accepting visa applications from Chinese citizens. Since then there have been discussions and attempts at solving the issue but Chinese agents have informed Feltom that new regulations issued from the Embassy of Malta in Beijing are too complicated.

Meanwhile, as quoted in an interview, Tourism Minister Francis Zammit Dimech is encouraging language schools to tap markets where the visa issue is not as problematic, such as Japan.

But, Mr Dimech added, that was not the point. "Students who come from visa countries, which are not considered as high risk, cannot understand why they are only granted a visa for 30 days when they enrol for three to six months, hence the need for a policy for a student visa.

"Following our meeting with the prime minister and three ministers responsible for immigration, foreign affairs and tourism, we wonder what is the common position of the government regarding our recommendation for a student visa," he said.

An all-year-round destination
The issuing of the student visa would also help overcome another challenge faced by Feltom and MTA - the promotion of Malta as a suitable all-year-round language destination.

Sixty per cent of language students come here in the peak summer months. This is understandable when you take into account that students under 17, representing 36 per cent of the sector, can only travel during their summer school holidays.

Another 28.5 per cent of the total market, representing the mature adult students, come to Malta in spring and autumn and 10 per cent come in the lean months, November to March.

In order to attract students even in the lean months, Ms Valletta said, schools are promoting adult, business and professional courses.

"The image we are putting across is that although, yes, the Maltese islands are synonymous with summer, sea and fun, we are an all-year-round destination and due to our mild climate also offer courses in the winter months. Promotion is being done to attract this client.

"What we are trying to do at the moment is work on changing the perception our overseas partners might have that Malta and Gozo are just for summer. Our visuals have been changed and we can now aim at targeting both the junior and adult, executive market in our advertising activities."

Improving the product - the accreditation scheme
But apart from increasing the number of students visiting Malta across the year, Feltom has also worked on increasing the quality of the product offered to these students.

Mr Dimech explained that the recently introduced accreditation scheme demands equal quality standards for both new and existing member organisations and will involve more detailed site visits and scrutiny for new membership as well as periodic site visits for existing member organisations.

The scheme will provide Malta with a professional platform to project itself as an English language-learning destination that offers quality schools. It will furnish students attending Feltom member schools with an efficient redress mechanism which gives peace of mind to prospective students who select to follow a course of study in English at any of its member schools.

The scheme is currently being introduced for existing members on a voluntary basis until December 31, 2007 and during this period, Feltom will subsidise the application fee for existing members.

Host family taxation
The issue of host family taxation was raised last year as the income tax authorities requested host families to include the income received from hosting students, as well as expenses incurred for hosting students, in addition to any other income declared for income tax purposes.

In a meeting earlier this year the Chamber of Small and Medium Enterprises - GRTU and the Finance Ministry agreed on a taxable income of 35 per cent of income above a tax-free limit of Lm1,000.

"Host families have formed part of this sector for the past three decades, and have always been on the increase. This is definitely positive for both the sector and the national economy," Ms Valletta said.

"The sector has required a niche provider within the accommodation sector. It has given the opportunity for families to be employed. One has to bear in mind that the whole scope of offering host family accommodation is to further enhance the student's experience and allow for the opportunity to speak English with the family, thereby practicing the language."

Malta's product
So the question is - even with the accreditation system in place and the release of student visas - can Malta compete with countries such as UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, US and South Africa?

Both Mr Dimech and Ms Valletta believe it can.

"Language schools in Malta have always had a competitive edge but the major schools have also recognised that quality standards are essential in their business. Malta is a highly cost-effective language travel destination, which is two to three hours flight from most European cities, has a mild climate in the winter, is safe, welcoming, its people are friendly, the majority speak English and there is a large variety of cultural and entertainment venues which make Malta extremely popular because of its good value for money," Mr Dimech said.

While recognising that the competition is tough, Ms Valletta, had faith in the power of Malta as a diverse destination.

"Our size makes us unique. I usually refer to our islands as a mix destination. One can combine learning English with a diving course, football training camps, history and culture, wining and dining, theatre etc. There is a mix factor for the various age brackets attracted to our shores. One can experience a classroom of colour, life and culture - the islands are the classroom. This is the way we are to project ourselves. We are not the UK and don't expect to be either. Yet we have so much to offer," she said.

Why choose Malta?

Students indicate that their three main reasons for choosing Malta are climate, the price of courses and the sea and beaches.

The main decision makers are the students themselves.

The quality of courses is considered as very good/good by the majority of respondents.

91 per cent would recommend Malta as an English learning destination.

The majority of students visiting Malta purchase a package prior to their departure. The average package per week is Lm215 for summer months and Lm212 for off-peak months.

The average length of stay is of 18.6 nights and expenditure lies at an average Lm684 per person.

More than half (55 per cent) stay with host families. In 2004 there were 1,686 host families with a capacity of about 5,806 beds.

* Information from the Tourism Segments Report, published in March 2005 for the year 2004.