Problems and Needs Analysis of English for Tourism Industry: A Case of Hotel Staff in Phang Nga Province, Thailand

Tourism is an important industry that has created a lot of income for many nations, including Thailand; therefore, it is essential to increase its potential as a more sustainable and successful industry, in particular to support a sustainable recovery of nations' economies after a tough situation like Covid-19. The present study was carried out to investigate tourism staff's problems and needs for using English at work and to explore their needs for improving English for their work. The participants were 200 hotel staff in Phang Nga Province, Thailand. Data were collected through a 5-point Likert scale questionnaire and a semi-structured interview. Quantitative and qualitative methods were employed for data analysis. The findings showed that in general, the hotel staff's problem in using English at work was at a moderate level (M=2.76, S.D.=1.11). They had English writing problems the most. They found it very difficult to write letters or e-mails in English. Regarding their needs for using English, it was found that every English skill was rated at a high level (M=3.75, S.D.=1.11), and English speaking was the most necessary. The hotel staff reported that they had to speak English to welcome, greet and say good-bye to foreign guests. Pertaining to their needs for improving English, overall, the hotel staff needed to improve their English skills at a high level (M=3.85, S.D.=0.98). They highly needed to improve their English use in every aspect, especially English listening. Based on the interview information, English courses, handbooks or applications relating to English for hotels are truly needed for their English use improvement.