ENGLISH FOR TOURISM

Expected Learning Outcomes

English for Tourism – Syllabus

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Course Title

English for Tourism

Degree Programme

Bachelor’s Degree in Tourism Studies

Year of Study

First Year

Credits

9 ECTS (54 contact hours)

Entry Level

A2 (CEFR)

Target Level

B1 (CEFR)

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Course Description

The course aims to develop students’ general language proficiency from A2 to B1 level, with particular focus on communication in tourism and hospitality contexts.

The course emphasizes the development of communicative competence, with reference to oral interaction, professional writing, and the use of sector-specific tourism vocabulary.

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Expected Learning Outcomes

By the end of the course, students will be able to:

• interact in routine tourism-related situations using appropriate language
• understand and use B1-level grammatical structures with sufficient accuracy
• use tourism-specific vocabulary appropriately
• produce short, structured professional texts (e.g. emails, descriptions, reports)
• deliver short oral presentations on tourism-related topics

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Teaching Methods

The course adopts a communicative approach and includes:

• lectures
• pair and group work
• role plays and simulations
• guided writing activities
• oral presentations

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Assessment Methods

Students will be assessed through:

• Written exam: grammar, vocabulary, reading comprehension, and writing
• Oral exam: general English interaction and English for tourism purposes; presentation of a short tourism-related topic

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Language of Instruction

English

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Course Objectives

The course aims to:

• develop communicative competence in tourism contexts
• consolidate and expand B1-level grammar knowledge
• enhance the use of tourism-specific vocabulary
• develop professional writing skills
• improve confidence and fluency in spoken English

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Weekly Programme (9 weeks – 54 hours)

🔹 Week 1 (6 hours)

Revision and Language Consolidation

Focus: basic communication and language awareness

• Introducing oneself and providing personal information
• Functional language: greeting, thanking, apologising, making requests, telling the time and dates, telephone communication
• Alphabet and spelling
• Common pronunciation issues for Italian learners
• False friends and common lexical errors

Activities:

• Writing simple professional emails
• Introduction to tourism

Vocabulary:

• tourism sectors
• tourism jobs
• Speaking activities to develop fluency

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🔹 Week 2 (6 hours)

Tourism

Vocabulary:

• adjectives for professional skills
• tourism sectors
• work routines

Skills and Activities:

• Speaking: skills and job responsibilities
• Reading: Tourism – the most important industry in the world
• Writing: creating an information sheet

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🔹 Week 3 (6 hours)

Accommodation and Hospitality

Vocabulary:

• types of accommodation
• services and facilities
• descriptive language

Skills and Activities:

• handling telephone bookings
• providing information about accommodation
• Writing: structured descriptions of hotels and accommodation
• Reading: What makes a quality hotel?

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🔹 Week 4 (6 hours)

Travel Agencies and Customer Relations

Vocabulary:

• commercial and sales terminology

Skills and Activities:

• identifying customer needs
• telephone communication in travel agencies
• analysis of online booking platforms (e.g. Booking.com)
• Writing: professional emails and short reports
• Reading: The sales process

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🔹 Week 5 (6 hours)

Airport Operations

Vocabulary:

• airport services and facilities

Skills and Activities:

• Speaking: interaction at check-in desks and information points
• Speaking: managing communication with passengers
• Writing: airport information sheet
• Reading: Working at the airport

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🔹 Week 6 (6 hours)

Air Transport

Vocabulary:

• air transport terminology
• low-cost airlines
• giving directions

Skills and Activities:

• Speaking: comparing low-cost and traditional airlines
• Writing: designing questionnaires
• Reading: Tourism and air transport

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🔹 Week 7 (6 hours)

Transport in Tourism

Vocabulary:

• sector-specific words and adjectives describing transport

Skills and Activities:

• Speaking: what is important for tourists when travelling?
• Listening: transport systems
• Writing: timetables and schedules
• Reading: interpreting official transport timetables

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🔹 Week 8 (6 hours)

Sicily: Cultural and Heritage Tourism

Vocabulary:

• terminology of cultural and heritage tourism

Skills and Activities:

• Speaking: describing tourist destinations and cultural sites
• Speaking: promoting a destination in English
• Writing: structured description of a tourist destination in Sicily
• Reading: texts on cultural tourism

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🔹 Week 9 (6 hours)

Revision and Exam Preparation

• revision of main language contents
• oral exam simulation
• student presentations on tourism topics

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Teaching Materials

Materials will be provided by the lecturer and selected from:

• Oxford English for Careers: Tourism – R. Walker & K. Harding, Oxford University Press
• English File – C. Latham-Koenig, C. Oxenden, K. Chomacki, J. Lambert, Oxford University Press

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Recommended Reference Books

• Murphy, R. English Grammar in Use – Cambridge University Press (with answers)
• For revision and consolidation of basic grammar:
  Essential Grammar in Use (Italian Edition) – Murphy & Lelio Palini, Cambridge University Press