CASE STUDY Meeting and Greeting Overseas Visitors –Northern Ireland Tourist Board case study (updated) Description This case study was written in 2006 and now includes some minor updates. The original case study looked at some of the ways in which the Northern Ireland Tourist Board (NITB) encouraged overseas visitors and helped employees working within the travel, tourism and hospitality industries to meet the expectations of overseas visitors. The materials kindly provided by the NITB remain relevant today. They include some key accommodation symbols with their meanings in English, French, German and Spanish, and a fact sheet ‘French Visitors: Meeting Expectations’.
Suggested learning inputs/activities General Introductory Session (Levels 1-3) • Group or class discussions about relevant terms such as overseas, visitor, tourist, incoming, outgoing, domestic tourism, short break, expectations. • Students identify English phrases that staff working in a hotel (or other facility) might use with guests e.g. enjoy your stay. ‘Languages Link’ Session (Levels 1-3, depending on foreign language skills as well as the level of the qualification. Involving a linguist may be of benefit. If students are studying a foreign language, the Language teacher could be involved in delivery and in the performance and assessment of the roles plays): • Teacher refers to accommodation symbols and meanings on page 2 of the case study, but does not hand out the page at this point. Teacher reads out the meaning of each of the symbols in English and asks students to describe what each symbol looks like or draw them. Alternatively, teacher draws/displays the symbols; students guess what they mean (in English). • Depending on foreign language skills, students are then either asked to translate the English meanings of the symbols into one or more foreign languages, or the teacher or a linguist (can be taped in advance) reads out the French and/or German and/or Spanish translations from page 2 and students try to identify which symbol each phrase refers to. Students should be encouraged to repeat the phrases to aid learning. For most students it will be better to concentrate on one language at a time. • Teacher hands out page 2. Students individually or in groups practice speaking the phrases. • Follow-up: translate phrases into other languages, relevant to the local area. Language skills of EFL/ESL students could be very helpful with this.
Springboard Education at: http://education.springboarduk.net and http://resource-gateway.co.uk To contact us directly email: education@springboarduk.org.uk
Languages Link Session contd. • Teacher Input: Teacher demonstrates techniques for communicating with nonEnglish speakers e.g. write down what you said and give it to the visitor who may understand text better than speech; point to signs or symbols e.g. Ladies/Gents toilets, phones; use a map/draw a plan if giving directions; show the customer a list of key phrases he or she (or you) can point to; speak clearly and slowly (particularly on the phone); use simple words not complicated ones or jargon (applies to written communications as well as speech); be brief; concentrate on the key messages. • Whole class: teacher goes over the French phrases from the last page of the case study, pre-taped if necessary, or uses phrases in another language from a different source; gives out written copies, or audio tapes, for students to practise in pairs. Role Plays (it would be helpful to involve Language Teachers. Findings from the ‘Links to Travel Destinations and Marketing’ activities below may be useful for the role plays): • Teacher identifies a series of role play situations involving overseas visitors or potential visitors who have limited English e.g. face to face enquiry at a hotel reception, telephone enquiry at a theatre, a complaint in a restaurant, request to a TIC assistant for information, a booking at a leisure centre reception. • Students practise handling situations, then carry out the role plays. Teachers provide feedback to students on customer service/situation handling/use of techniques/body language etc., plus, if appropriate, on their language skills. Links to Travel Destinations and Marketing Levels 1-3 • Group investigations of Northern Ireland as a tourist destination (or another receiving area). Teacher allocates a topic to each group e.g. one group researches access (air and sea transport, routes, transport providers operating on the routes, how to get to and from the port etc.) Another group looks at amenities. Another group investigates attractions. Groups present their findings to the class. Levels 2-3 • Teacher-led in class or in groups, as appropriate, discussion of what overseas visitors expect, followed by a review of the contents of the NITB information sheet ‘French Visitors Meeting Expectations’ (pages 4 and 5 of the case study). • Each group chooses one characteristic of the French market e.g. interest in activities linked to nature, then, building on earlier destination investigations, carries out research to identify suitable tourism products in Northern Ireland (or other receiving country).The choice of destination, and research should be appropriate for the qualification. • Students use their research to give advice to a range of customers in role play situations and/or produce a destination leaflet or fact files to promote the tourism products to the chosen market. Level 3 • Students produce individual reports about the characteristics of other markets e.g. Spain, Germany, Japan, USA and how to meet their expectations. Springboard Education at: http://education.springboarduk.net and http://resource-gateway.co.uk To contact us directly email: education@springboarduk.org.uk
Case Study – Northern Ireland Tourist Board: Meeting and Greeting Overseas Visitors
This case study is based on materials kindly provided by the Northern Ireland Tourist Board in 2006, which remain relevant today. Some minor updates have been added.
Helping you to Meet and Greet The Northern Ireland Tourist Board produces a wide range of information to encourage visitors to Northern Ireland (incoming tourism). The 2010/11 brochures can be downloaded at: http://www.discovernorthernireland.com/information/brochures.aspx. The Board also produces materials to help organisations and staff working within the hospitality, travel and tourism industries to meet the needs of UK and overseas visitors.
Guide to Hotels and Guest Houses Northern Ireland (2006)
Here is a copy of the front page of the Northern Ireland 2006 Guide to Hotels and Guest Houses. The growth of low cost airlines has meant that it is now easier than ever to travel to and from Northern Ireland. To encourage visitors from Europe to spend one night or more in Northern Ireland, some sections of the 2006 Guide were produced in German, French and Spanish. This had the advantage of providing potential visitors with descriptions in their own language about how to book accommodation in Northern Ireland, quality classifications, getting value for money, and the key features offered by hotels and guest houses.
In 2010 the main Visitor Guide to Northern Ireland was produced in French, German, Spanish and Italian as well as in English (available as downloads from http://www.discovernorthernireland.com/information/brochures.aspx). 1
Key to Accommodation Symbols Here are some extracts from the Northern Ireland Tourist Board Accommodation Guide’s list of Accommodation Symbols, with meanings given in English, French, German and Spanish. Credit cards accepted Cartes de crédit acceptées Zahlung mit Kreditkarten möglich Se acceptan tarjetas de crédito Indoor swimming pool Piscine intérieure Hallenschwimmbad Piscina cubierta Off-street parking Stationnement hors rue Privater Parkplatz, Parkhaus etc. Aparcamiento propio Totally non smoking Totalement non-fumeurs Nichtraucher – all Bereiche Estrictamente para no fumadores Telephone for guest use Téléphone à la disposition des hôtes Telefon kann von Gästen benutzt werden Teléfono para uso por parte del huésped Restaurant on premises Restaurant sur les lieux Restaurant inhaus Restaurante en las instalaciones
Meeting Expectations Among the many useful publications produced by NITB for those working within the Hospitality, Travel, Tourism and Leisure industries were ‘Spanish Visitors – Meeting Expectations’ and ‘French Visitors – Meeting Expectations’. These contained short descriptions of the country and the people, travel trends, and what visitors were looking for, plus international dialling and a list of useful phrases. On the next four pages is a copy of ‘French Visitors – Meeting Expectations’. This will help you find out a little about French people and learn some useful phrases you can use when meeting visitors from France. To find out more about the range of products and services offered by the Northern Ireland Tourist Board visit the websites: www.discovernorthernireland.com (aimed at potential visitors) and www.nitb.com (aimed at the trade). 2
As a result of the arrival of low cost airlines more people are in the position to fly to Northern Ireland, using airlines such as easyJet, Jet 2, Aer Arann, Ryanair and bmibaby. In order to ensure that our visitors have a memorable experience when visiting Northern Ireland it would be helpful to have an understanding of their culture. With this knowledge and understanding we may anticipate their needs and exceed their expectations.
LANGUAGE • French is spoken by 250 million people including speakers in: Belgium Switzerland, Luxembourg, Canada. N.IRELAND
CURRENCY • EURO
POPULATION • France has 60 million inhabitants, of which 75% live in towns and cities and 25% live in the countryside.
Paris FRANCE
• The majority of the French population lives in Paris and its surrounding area (Ile de France); Rhône-Alpes; the South (Provence, Alpes, Côte d’Azur); the North (Pas de Calais).
Nice
TRAVEL AND TOURISM TRENDS • The strongest tendency to travel abroad for summer holidays is found among the under 30 age group, and among Parisians, executives and managing directors. • Whilst 60% of the French take their holidays during the summer, as many as 93% take that holiday in France. • During the summer, only 17% of departures are to overseas destinations, the most popular destination outside France being the rest of Europe, accounting for 67% of international trips. • Britain is France’s second international destination with just under 3 million visits, after Spain (17%) and followed by Italy (10%).
• A trend that is becoming increasingly evident is for the French to choose their destination at the very last minute. • Another new trend in French travel patterns is the increasing interest in ‘tourisme vert’ (activities linked to nature), arts and cultural holidays. • The dedicated holiday budget is increasing, but people are becoming more and more prudent about holiday expenditure. • The tendency is increasingly for the French to take more short breaks.
A CULTURAL OVERVIEW
4
• One out of every two French people enjoys taking part in sport during their holidays (climbing, tennis, golf, mountain biking, trekking). The French enjoy sport as a means of keeping fit, as well as for pleasure. • The French have always been interested in culture. A growing number of French people attend festivals or take part in arts activities such as music, painting or dance. They visit museums (particularly for special exhibitions) and historic houses and there is a strong correlation between level of education and interest in cultural activities. • The French are prepared to shop around before they buy anything and also to bargain. Discount outlets are successful. The money saved is reinvested in their leisure activities (holidays), their health and their home.
HOW CAN WE MEET THE NEEDS AND EXPECTATIONS OF OUR FRENCH VISITORS? • The French have a good knowledge of the English language as they study it from the age of 7. If you can welcome them with a few basic French words, they will appreciate your efforts. Key phrases overleaf.
• In a restaurant, the French may want to try specialities typical to Northern Ireland. They enjoy eating all types of seafood and meat cooked medium or rare. • The French love meal times hence the time taken to eat and converse. However, they do tend to eat later than the people of Northern Ireland, perhaps at 8.30–9pm. • In a pub, they are likely to look for one which offers food and Irish traditional music. The French prefer to sit and eat than to stand and drink as we do! • The French love culture. If there is a place of interest or a beauty spot in the area let your French visitors know about it. They may miss out otherwise and later be disappointed. They enjoy shopping for antiques and souvenirs.
INTERNATIONAL DIALLING CODES: • To France (from NI) 00 33 • To NI (from France) 00 44
• For breakfast the French enjoy strong black coffee with warm breads. • They expect a plentiful amount of bread and water on their tables at meal times. Provide a jug (not glasses) of water without ice and lemon. Also, they don’t like to be served everything on one plate. The French prefer to try a little of everything, they enjoy variety.
5
KEY PHRASES ENGLISH
FRENCH
Hello!
Bonjour!
Welcome to Northern Ireland
Bienvenue en Irlande du Nord
Good Evening
Bonsoir
Good Night
Bonne nuit
Goodbye
Au revoir
See you soon
A bientôt
Please
S’il vous plâit
Thank you
Merci
Pleased to meet you
Enchanté(e) de vous rencontrer
Do you speak English/French/Spanish?
Parlez-vous anglais/français/ espagnol?
I am sorry, I don’t understand
Je suis désolé(e), je ne comprends pas
My name is…
Je m’appelle…
Where are you from?
D’où êtes-vous?
Enjoy your stay
Je vous souhaite un séjour agréable
Enjoy your meal
Bon appetit!
Would you like to speak to the manager?
Voudrez-vous parler au directeur?
Abbey Training Services offer a Welcome Europe Programme. The programme aims to improve your understanding of the needs and expectations of visitors from Europe and give you an opportunity to become proficient in simple foreign language skills. The Welcome Europe programme consists of the following language modules: French, German, Irish, Italian and Spanish. For further details contact: Abbey Training Services Lennie House 314 Antrim Road Glengormley BT36 8EH Tel: (028) 9084 0527 info@abbey-training.com www.abbey-training.com
© NITB. Published by the Northern Ireland Tourist Board, 59 North St, Belfast BT1 1NB. (028) 9023 1221. Fax: (028) 9024 0960. Textphone: (028) 9089 5512. Email: info@nitb.com 5m/6/04 www.nitb.com www.discovernorthernireland.com
6