Market intelligence for international student recruitment from ICEF
13th Aug 2012

Latest ALTO report highlights struggles in global language travel industry

The Association of Language Travel Organisations (ALTO) has released its latest report from Q2 2012, which includes feedback from 229 language schools and 399 educational agencies around the world. ALTO regularly provides a snapshot of the language travel industry and predictions for the upcoming quarter via its report, ALTO Pulse. Less than half of the language schools and agents reported growth in the last quarter, and overall performance has been on a downward trend since the report from Q4 2011. Reasons for the drop are mainly attributed to tightened visa restrictions in the UK and this summer's Olympic Games in London, as well as continuing economic challenges in some countries. One participant summed it up as follows:

"We are suffering because of the UK's visa regime, the Olympics, and instability in Europe."

As a result of the decline, fewer survey participants are optimistic about the future; however, the general mood is still upbeat with 58% of the participating schools and 70% of the agents expecting a better quarter to come. alto-language-travel-industry-report alto-language-travel-industry-agents

Market performance

Malta

leads the pack, with 70% of schools reporting a growing number of students, closely followed by France, Germany and Ireland (67%). Perhaps not surprisingly, the UK, Australia and New Zealand have reported declines - mainly due to visa changes and the economic climate. The following table shows how each country ranks their key growing and declining markets. This breakdown highlights Brazil and Saudi Arabia as top growth markets. While China popped up in the international summary, top survey submitters mentioned the increase of Japanese students more. South Korean and Spanish student numbers are down in all their traditional destinations. alto-country-forecast More than half of the agents in quite a few countries had a better Q2 in 2012 than in 2011. Mexico appears for the first time in ALTO's report, and has taken over China’s record with 78% of the participating agents reporting growth. China is second at 70% and Japan follows at 67%. Pakistani (47%) and Indian (40%) agents reported declines compared to last year. With the Olympics at a close and autumn just around the corner, time will soon tell how the language travel industry shapes up in the remaining half of 2012. Source: ALTO

Most Recent

  • OECD tracks global student flows to developed market-based economies Read More
  • UK ELT reports declining enrolments for first half of 2025 Read More
  • Global ELT volumes dipped in 2024 Read More

Most Popular

  • Which countries will contribute the most to global student mobility in 2030? Read More
  • Research shows link between study abroad and poverty alleviation  Read More
  • Beyond the Big Four: How demand for study abroad is shifting to destinations in Asia and Europe Read More

Because you found this article interesting

UK ELT reports declining enrolments for first half of 2025 Extending the global pattern reported for 2024 of declining English language learning enrolments, English UK’s quarterly reporting for...
Read more
Global ELT volumes dipped in 2024 Globally, the ELT sector gave back some hard-won, post-pandemic gains in 2024. An annual study of eight top...
Read more
New analysis forecasts marginal growth for foreign enrolment in Australia through 2030 In the five years leading up to the pandemic, Australia’s foreign enrolment grew at an average of 10%...
Read more
China opens up to global STEM talent with new visa class The contrast offered by the global news headlines over the past couple of weeks could not have been...
Read more
US proposes new rules for student visas including term limits and other restrictions On 28 August 2025, the US Department of Homeland Security published a proposed rule: Establishing a Fixed Time...
Read more
US Office of Management and Budget grants budget reprieve to key exchange programmes In a highly unusual intervention in an area of Congressional authority, the US Office of Management and Budget...
Read more
Canada: How is study permit processing taking shape this year? There are two important and recurring themes in our conversations with education agents over the last few months...
Read more
UK study visa grants strengthening in first half of 2025 A 21 August 2025 data release from the UK Home Office shows that student visa grants were up...
Read more
What are you looking for?
Quick Links