Language students booked longer stays during intense 2015

English language schools have enjoyed a year of ‘intense activity’ in 2015, with students booking longer stays and more spent on marketing and promotion.

The chairperson of the Federation of English Language Teaching Organisations Malta (Feltom) Julian Cassar Torregiani said that 2015 had presented the federation with the opportunity to strengthen its accreditation system, lobbying for more travel opportunities, as well as better marketing systems to promote Malta as a prime language learning destination.

“2015 was a year where schools experienced growth, and longer stays at by students from many different countries,” Cassar Torregiani said, speaking at the Feltom AGM earlier today.

Cassar Torregiani said that the federation’s revamped website had also helped in the promotion of the educational experience offered in Malta, but that the industry had also faced a number of challenges throughout the year including issues related to the publishing of visas, as increasing numbers of students travel from outside Europe to further their studies.  

“Another issue we experienced was the increased difficulty in organising events and obtaining permits from the police for events for younger students during the summer months,” he said. 

Cassar Torregiani explained that Feltom is made up of 20 member schools and that its ultimate aim was to make the industry stronger. 

Malta Tourism Authority CEO Paul Bugeja said that the English language and subsequently the English language learning industry had shaped the history of tourism on the island. 

“The industry brings some 80,000 student arrivals on average every year,” Bugeja said, adding that however big the economic impact of the industry, its main focus should always remain education, with a strong focus on investment in human resources. 

“Most of those who come here are very young and their education is being entrusted to educators in the sector, so it is imperative to create professional and expert training.”

Bugeja added however that the experience should also include supportive environments and adequate accommodation for the students. 

“Host families and accommodation standards were therefore important to keep in mind,” he said, adding that the MTA had updated its regulations in the sector. 

Bugeja added that after-school events were also important for the schools to encourage social interaction and subsequently, language use in social contexts, and he urged Feltom board members to continue to look to the quality of teaching offered by the schools. 

Encouraging healthy competition, Bugeja stressed the need for close cooperation to ensure the maintenance of standards and a high quality product for the future.

MTA chief marketing offcier Carlo Micallef spoke about the authority’s marketing efforts planned for 2016. He said that the authority had developed various marketing strategies to further promote Malta as a destination for English learning, including social media campaigns, participation in fairs and workshops among others. 

“We will also be presenting services specifically for students during the summer period to have an even better year, including added flights to Malta from Germany, Greece, Spain and Italy among others.” 

He added that the MTA had dedicated specific budgets to new emerging markets and that it looked forward to perhaps diverting funds from one market into new untapped markets like China among others. 

In his presentation, Micallef said that the authority is dedicating some €46,000 to German-speaking markets, €19,000 to marketing efforts in France and Belgium, €54,000 in Italy, €14,000 in Spain, €5,000 in the Nordic region as well as €30,000 in Russia. 

He added that the MTA had also spent some €18,000 in Eastern Europe and Turkey, as well as €8,500 in Japan and South Korea among others.