Marketing and sales in education tourism : focusing on EFL schools in Malta

Abstract

Being one of Malta's main niche markets, the proper management of the English as a Foreign Language (EFL) sector is imperative for the country's tourism industry - and consequently, its economy. This long essay aims to understand the main marketing and sales activities the Maltese language schools carry out in order to set themselves apart in the industry, also putting Malta at a competitive advantage in the global market by doing so. Language schools, EFL students and the three main bodies of this industry where interviewed to understand how and why Malta is sold to this sector, focusing mainly on the marketing mix - but also considering the actual sales aspect of the product. Measures taken at a national level where therefore identified, with the input of the EFL monitoring board, the Malta Tourism Authority (MTA) and the Federation of English Language Teaching Organizations in Malta (FELTOM) - as well as those measures adopted by the individual schools, displaying a more specific perspective on the business tools. The findings illustrate how these players promote Malta to the different target markets, how the language schools personalise the marketing mix to highlight their own distinguishing factors, and also the importance of having the marketing and the sales people working closely with each other. Results highlight how equally integral the marketing and sales are in the business world, especially in a competitive market such as that of EFL - and also how the management of these tools is directly linked to the players' and country's success.