Language learning in the context of Tourism

The Portuguese Language Case Study

Abstract

Over the past years there has been a growing interest in the topic of learning languages and Tourism. More recently, the increasing attention given by researchers to Language Tourism and its consequences for Tourism on the supply and demand sides has emphasized the idea that further studies in this area are necessary. This article aims to present and discuss the contributions of conceptual and empirical articles regarding Language Learning in Tourism, especially focusing on the Portuguese language. The article argues that Language Learning in Tourism could be divided into six themes, namely studies that analyse tourists/participants in Language Tourism, studies that analyse experiences, studies that analyse language learning for Tourism purposes, studies that analyse the learning of a foreign language, studies that analyse Language Tourism post-travel, and studies that analyse the offerings in Language Tourism. Findings indicate that opportunities for future research on Language Learning and Tourism are related to sustainability, relationships with local communities and participants, technologies, segmentation of tourists in specific market niches, post-experience, migration, and the role of the Portuguese language.