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Language Travel Magazine, June 2000 18 French slowdown strength of the UK and US currencies, an-
other stumbling block to growth in 1999 was
a decrease in the number of school groups.
However, there was no evidence of this in
the average age of clients across all agency
businesses. Although,
in compari-
son to last
years survey,
there was a slight decrease
at the very top and bottom of the age scale,
the 12-to-18 year old age group accounted
for the same proportion of bookings in 1999
as it did in 1998. There was, however, a rise
of five percentage points in the share of 19-
to-24 year olds, and a third of respondents
highlighted this group as showing the most
growth potential, with university students
increasingly realising the importance of
English for future employment. With students keen to increase their attractiveness in the employment market
although the job market is growing, France
still has an 11 per cent unemployment rate
demand for work experience programmes is
also growing, according to one agent. This is
borne out by the results of this survey, in
which work experience courses came in at agency survey D espite the relative health of the
French economy, growth in the
language travel industry has slowed in the past year, according to the results of
this issues survey of language travel agen-
cies in France. Although 33 per cent of the 18 lan-
guage travel agents
who took part in this
issues survey re-
ported that their
number of bookings
had increased in
1999, their growth
rates of between 13 and 22 per cent were
considerably lower than those experienced
by the agents who took part in our survey of
the 1998 French market, when over half of
respondents recorded growth of between 10
and 50 per cent (see Language Travel Maga-
zine, June 1999, pages 16-17). In this years
survey, 39 per cent of agents said their
number of bookings had remained the same
as the previous year, while 28 per cent said
numbers had decreased by between three
and 14 per cent. Across all agencies busi-
ness, market growth was a rather stagnant
1.2 per cent, compared with a healthy 11.1
per cent in 1998. Among those agencies that experienced growth in 1999, better marketing and the
health of the French economy were given as
the reasons behind the favourable perform-
ance. According to the Economist
Intelligence Unit in the UK, economic
growth in France
was around 2.6 per
cent in 1999. In
addition, employ-
ment growth was
strong and house-
hold consumption
was also up. Never-
theless, for some
language travel
agents, the strength
of the UKs pound sterling and the US dollar
hampered growth. The high cost of courses
in the UK, the number one destination for
French students, and the USA, which was
relegated from second position last year to
third place this year, also had an effect on
the average length of stay for students. Half The high pound sterling and US dollar seem to have taken their toll on the French language travel market with growth slowing in 1999. of our respondents said the average course
duration for their clients had fallen in the
past year, with the majority saying that this
was as a direct result of the high exchange
rates of the pound sterling and US dollar.
For individual agencies, the average was between one and 24
weeks, giving an
overall average
across all agencies
of 6.25 weeks. The clear winner in
terms of
destina- tion was Ireland, which
managed to snatch second
place from the USA in 1999.
Ireland has benefited consid-
erably in recent years from
its position as a value-for-
money English language
learning alternative to the UK
(see page 41), and despite the
UKs leading position, some
sources noted a decline in book-
ings for this destination. Like
Ireland, Australia, which was in
fourth place, and Canada also
seemed to benefit from their price
advantage, thanks to the relative weak-
ness of their currencies, with a number of
respondents saying that demand for both
destinations increased last year. One re-
spondent also noted that Malta was
becoming increasingly popular while an- other mentioned a
trend towards new
destinations such as
South Africa. There was no change in language
choice with English
being the most popu-
lar among French
language travellers,
followed by Spanish, then German and Italian. The popularity of
the German language in France may be
owing to the fact that Germany is the main
destination for Frances exports, accounting
for just under 16 per cent of total exports. As well as the negative effects being felt in the French market as a result of the Language Travel Magazine, June 2000 18 French slowdown Top destinations 1. UK 2. Ireland 3. USA 4. Australia Most popular media for generating business 1. Word of mouth 2. Press advertising 3. Mail-shots 4. Fairs and expos 5. Internet Language Travel Magazine, June 2000 19 third position behind summer vacation programmes and intensive courses this year, whereas work pro- grammes were only the fifth
most popular type of course in 1998. Exam preparation pro- grammes were in fourth place this year, followed by business language programmes and aca- demic preparation courses. Another course
trend noted was more English for specific
purposes programmes, and it was generally
noted that enquiries
were becoming more
and more specific. Despite the growing trend to-
wards languages for
vocational and spe-
cific purposes, the
main reason students
took a language travel course was for their
studies at home, followed by for work and
then for their studies overseas. Just over 44 per cent of respondents placed school groups on courses overseas, PHOTOGRAPH: ELS LANGUAGE CENTERS which accounted for between one and 84 per
cent of their business, giving an overall
average across all agency businesses of 19.3
per cent. Executives were placed by 61 per
cent of respondents, and accounted for
between one and 50 per cent of agency
business, averaging out at 6.7 per cent. Although the French economy is doing well, price sensitivity is still a feature of the
French market, with almost 90 per cent of
agents agreeing that their clients were now
more price sensitive than they were before,
and over 40 per cent saying their students
expected all activities to be included in the
course price. As for accommodation prefer- ences among
students, 44 per cent
of agents indicated a
trend towards resi-
dential
accommodation,
while just over 30
per cent said there
was a trend towards host family accommodation. In terms of commission rates, the agen- cies that took part in our survey received
between 15 and 30 per cent, averaging out at
21 per cent. A surprisingly high number
72 per cent of agencies also charged their
students a handling fee which generally
ranges from around FF190 (US$28) to
FF650 (US$95). About 39 per cent of re-
spondents sold study courses only while the
remaining agencies sold travel tickets and
courses either as a package or separately.
Just over 60 per cent sold both travel and
health insurance while 17 per cent sold
health insurance only. Other services offered
by the agencies that took part in our survey
included hotel and car rental bookings, tours
without language learning, and au pair and
other job placements. Language Travel Magazine, June 2000 19 The language programmes recommended by the agents who took part in our survey were, in Australia: Australian College of English, Sydney NSW; International House Queensland, Cairns
QL; Phoenix English Language Academy, Perth WA; Sydney English Language Centre, Sydney NSW. In Canada: Canadian College of English Language, Vancouver BC; Pacific Language
Institute, various. In Germany: Did, various; Sprachinstitut T

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