Since our last survey of the UK outbound market several years ago, most agencies have experienced business growth, with a higher volume of students overall studying overseas.
| Key points |
| The total number of students placed by 7 of the 8 agencies in our survey was 13,398 Average business growth was 24.6 per cent The average length of stay for British students was 2.8 weeks One agency charged a handling fee, with another planning to do so from 2006 Individual agencies placed between 250 and 5,000 students – and overall volume was significant in the UK, compared with other markets Cuba was the fourth most popular destination for British students Agencies represented, on average, 24 different study destinations |
| Top destinations | Most popular courses | |
| 1. Spain 34% 2. France 25% 3. Other 12% 4. Italy 8% 5. Cuba 7% 6. Germany 4% 6. Costa Rica 4% 8. Mexico 3% 8. Guatemala 3% |
1. General 72% 2. Junior progs. 8% 3. Intensive(+25 hrs) 6% 4. Other 4% 5. Summer vacation 3% 5. Academic prep. 3% 7. Lang + work exp. 2% 7. Business lang. 2% 7. Business lang. 2% |
| Reasons for language travel | Top languages | |
| 1. Pleasure 36% 2. Studies at home 22% 3. Studies overseas 15.5% 4. Future work 13% 5. Current work 10.5% 6. Other 3% |
1. Spanish 54% 2. French 25% 3. Italian 8% 4. German 6% 5. Other 5% 6. Japanese 1% 6. Portugese 1% |
| How do agencies recruit students? |
How do agencies find new schools to represent? | |
| Website 43% Word of mouth 23% Mail shots 17% Other 11% Advertising in press 3% Seminars to students 3% |
Internet 52% Fairs/expos 39% Other press 4% Workshops 5% |
| Percentage of agents who recognised each of the following organisations | ||
| Australia Acpet 0% English Australia 0% Canada France Ireland Italy Malta New Zealand |
Education NZ 0% English NZ 30% Portugal Spain UK Europe USA International |
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Language and destination trends
The same language and destination trends from our 1999 survey (published in 2000) stay true today, with Spanish being the most requested language, followed by French and then Italian. In terms of destination choice, Spain remains in number-one position, followed by France and Italy, but Cuba is in fourth position, overtaking Costa Rica which was in this spot previously. Our survey respondents mentioned a whole range of languages and destinations, such as Portuguese in Brazil or Portugal, Russian in Russia and Spanish in Peru and Guatemala, as being requested by clients. Just over half of all clients – 54 per cent – wanted to study Spanish, with French language training requested by a further quarter of clients.
Student and course trends
A majority of students – just over one third – took a language travel trip for pleasure only, while the second most likely reason for taking a language course was for studies at home. In our previous survey, studies at home was the main reason for taking a language course, and the increase in clients travelling for pleasure must be linked to the overall increase in volume experienced by most of the agencies in our survey. Low-cost flights may have impacted on the market, as well as a societal trend towards a holiday with a difference. General language courses were chosen by 72 per cent of agency clients, which explains many students'; pleasure motivations for their trip. Junior programmes were the second most popular course, followed by intensive programmes. Fifty-four per cent of clients chose host family accommodation and 29 per cent opted for residential accommodation.
Agency business
Almost half of all UK agency clients (43 per cent) are now recruited via websites, with word-of-mouth recommendation accounting for a further 23 per cent of business. Agencies also use the Internet to find new school partners – 52 per cent of new partners were located initially on the Internet, according to our respondents, with fairs and exhibitions responsible for a further 39 per cent of new business partnerships, far more important than workshops, in fact.
Looking ahead
All of the agencies surveyed were optimistic about business growth in 2006, with growth of up to 35 per cent forecast by various respondents. Three said a renovated website and new brochure or staff were expected to contribute to a growth in bookings.
Economic overview
Analysts predict that economic growth may improve in 2006 when compared with 2005, which was a stagnant year, with an annual growth rate of around 1.7%. A rate of 2.2% has been forecast for this year, still below 2004';s 3.2% figure.
An uncertain employment market and fears over tax increases are reported to be keeping consumers cautious about spending. Nevertheless, there are mixed indicators about the economy';s performance. In September, there was a slight increase in retail spending and house prices, which had previously dipped, picked up slightly.
Sources: Reuters/Bloomberg.