The language travel market - Portugal

1.1 Definition and scope of study

Language stays are stays of varying length in a foreign country to learn or improve in the language of the country. Realized by :

• Children (under 12 years old)
• Teenagers (12-18 years old)
• Adults

Stays usually take place during school holidays and last between two and four weeks. But the duration can be longer, depending on the type of stay, and can be up to a year. Generally, there are between 15 and 18 hours of classes per week, and up to 3 to 5 additional hours for an intensive course. The content and intensity of a stay varies according to the student's objectives, and organizations can offer packages ranging from preparation and exam writing to more leisure-oriented stays to promote oral language proficiency and cultural exploration.

The global market for language travel has grown impressively in recent years, both in value and volume, due to the increasing attention paid to foreign language learning, internationalization and inclusion. Key players in the market include language travel agencies, associations and organisations with their own language schools. In recent years, offers and packages have evolved, as has the target audience. The offer has been extended to a larger number of countries, although English language skills are still the main motivation for this type of stay.

With an increasingly internationalized economy, the Portuguese labour market increasingly requires the mastery of other languages (mainly English). As a result, more and more individuals are taking an interest in this type of stay, also in search of an improvement in their human capital. Moreover, the increase in the Portuguese standard of living has enabled more and more young people to afford this type of experience.