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Spain hopeful
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It’s a tense time for Spanish language schools; the global economic downturn could spell trouble for providers but with newer marketing tools in place and a concerted effort to concentrate on more popular course offerings, many remain steadfast. Nicola Hancox reports.
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Opinion varied when Spanish language providers were asked how well student numbers performed this year. Out of the eight schools surveyed, three reported a slow but steady increase and two acknowledged that their student intake had remained on a par with last year. Of the other three, one was a start-up school and the others mentioned modest declines in growth.
Paola Vecchi from Colegio Maravillas in Malaga notes that they experienced a 15 per cent increase in their group bookings alone in 2008. “The number of students altogether has increased a little this year with a much larger increase in school groups travelling during the spring months,” she says.
Boelo van der Pool from Babel Idiomas in Malaga relates that the school has upped its student intake by becoming totally web reliant. “We are now completely web-based. [There are] no printed brochures or leaflets. Everything is online and is done via email or phone,” Van der Pool enthuses. He adds that this new approach not only benefits the school but also the clients. “I think that when you work online, the personal touch of your service is of enormous value. Schools can help with that as well, as you have to answer all your client’s questions as fast and as accurately as possible.”
General language courses lost their flavour slightly in 2008 with providers putting their weight behind more specialised courses instead. “It seems to be increasingly evident that offering the standard general language course offered by everyone else is not the best way forward,” notes Bob Burger from Malaca Instituto in Malaga. This school turned its attention to language plus courses in 2008 – where students can combine language tuition with a typically Spanish activity. “Schools like us have the resources to offer alternative programmes like Spanish plus cookery and Spanish plus dance,” he ventures.
Marga Fortmann at Escuela Montalbán in Granada agrees and says their language plus programme has come on leaps and bounds in the last year or so. “[We have] more language plus activity courses [and] our one week Spanish and Flamenco, Spanish and cooking and Spanish and horse-riding have been very successful,” she reveals. She notes that such programming proved particularly popular with UK students in 2008.
However, economic instability has led some schools to think change is afoot. “If there is a downturn in student numbers due to the economic crisis,” notes Burger, “there might be a reduction in the number of schools possibly resulting in a larger market share for the well established schools.” Indeed, can new schools cut it in the current climate? According to Daniel Bertole, Director of Instituto de Idiomas in Ibiza, yes they can. Having launched the school in 2008, Bertole is well aware that in order to generate business, schools must be active in a wide variety of markets. “[We expect] an increase of enrolments of other nationalities due to our effort to find agencies in more countries,” he says.
Vecchi, meanwhile, in Malaga relates that it is difficult to predict what 2009 has in store for the Spanish language teaching market. She predicts a comfortable status quo as the most likely business outcome. “I think that although the spring season is looking good with many groups already confirmed, we will probably maintain the same numbers… luckily!” she ventures.
But Luis Carrion from Escuela de Idiomas Nerja in Nerja relates that the benefits of language learning outweigh the costs involved. “Our clients still have the economic capacity to afford courses abroad for their interest and CVs,” he suggests.
What is clear, however, is that revised programming seems to be breathing new life into the Spanish teaching market, something Nadia Carli from International House in Barcelona testifies to. “Currently we are offering more language plus activity courses. As a result we are attracting a different kind of student with a different kind of interest.”
Cheap flights
“Ticket prices for flights have increased a lot,” notes Marga Fortmann at Escuela Montalbán in Granada. Indeed, the cost of air travel has jumped considerably over the last few years. Team that with recent route cancellations in Spain and it looks as if finding a flight to Spain – or anywhere for that matter – may become a more difficult task than it once was.
“I suppose that the general economic crisis is affecting us,” adds Fortmann. “Some low-cost airlines have cancelled routes from Frankfurt to Granada,” she relates. With many Spanish schools heavily reliant on students from countries such as the UK, Italy, Germany and the Netherlands (all the schools surveyed noted that their best performing markets were from Western Europe) providers are fast realising that low-cost flights are an integral incentive for some clients.
“Air fares and routings most definitely affect a destination,” asserts Bob Burger from Malaca Instituto in Malaga, but he doubts language school clients will suffer greatly from the aforementioned route cancellations and price hikes. “Low cost carriers are logically very popular with students,” he says. “I believe that Ryanair recently agreed that up to 40 per cent of its passengers might be discretionary passengers – meaning, I believe, spontaneous purchasers of a good deal. These are the ones [Ryanair believes are] at risk with the credit crunch. I doubt if these are really language school clients.”
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