Malaga, a key destination for language tourism

Almost 600 million people speak Spanish as their mother tongue. According to the annual report of the Instituto Cervantes language teaching body, it is now the second most spoken native language in the world behind Mandarin Chinese. The growing interest in Latin culture and its global spread has made more and more people want to learn this language. There are currently more than 22 million people studying Spanish around the world. This demand forms the basis of what has become known as language tourism, a booming sector of which Malaga is a key destination within Spain.

According to the report on Spain by Fedele (Federation of schools of Spanish as a foreign language), more than 20,000 foreigners choose the province each year to learn Spanish, which yields an approximate turnover of 36 million euros.

"Nationally, Malaga is one of the most important destinations alongside Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia and Salamanca. Spanish is increasingly in demand at the business level and also in educational centres in other countries," said Paola Peña, vice president of Nacem (association of Spanish schools for foreigners of Malaga), whose current group of 12 schools in the capital are all accredited by the Instituto Cervantes, some of them with 40 years of experience.

After the stoppage caused by the pandemic, 2022 was a year of recovery for the sector, which hopes to "equal or exceed" in 2023 the figures achieved in 2019.

This area of Malaga is known for having the most language schools.

"The oldest ones set up here due to its proximity to the beach and its residential area, although in the last 15 years the city centre has become another strategic spot that today houses many schools," she said.

In addition to the 12 accredited schools in the city, the province has a further five language schools, making a total of 17. Across Andalucía there are 35 accredited schools, which reflects the importance of Malaga at the top spot for the sector.

After a good year in 2022, the forecasts for 2023 are "positive", according to the survey carried out by Fedele of the different schools and collated by EEA (the Andalusian association of schools of Spanish as a foreign language). For 2022, almost 68% more students enrolled in EEA schools than in the previous year.

According to initial calculations, last year 35,000 students came to Andalucía to learn Spanish. This total is still far from the 51,500 in 2019 (pre-pandemic), but higher than the 19,300 in 2021. For EEA, one means of gauging the income to be generated is the duration of stay, which also increased in 2022 to an average of 3.5 weeks.

The average weekly spend for a language student in Andalucía was 520 euros, taking into account the course fees, accommodation and recreational activities (culture, food and drink, sports, transport and shopping, among others). All this translates into a 2022 income for all Andalucía of around 48 million euros, which is getting closer to the 65 million achieved in 2019.

According to data gathered by EEA, the European market was number one, with Germany at the top (7,180 students, a 20.5% share), followed by Italy, UK, Ireland and Denmark. Outside Europe, the USA (with more than 1,700 students and a market share close to 5%) was the country that contributed most students in 2022.

"For this trend to take hold and the figures to recover completely, the push must essentially come from the key language institutions and public bodies. After the pandemic years, schools require their collaboration more than ever," said a spokesperson.

This upward trend has also been noted in Malaga. Most of the Spanish schools in the capital received young people between the ages of 18 and 25 in 2022, spending around 1,000 euros.

"This type of tourist becomes an ambassador for our country and our city. All our classes have a cultural component, language is taught along with our culture and traditions, it is a linguistic immersion," added Peña.

Students of Spanish in Malaga come mainly from Europe, with Germany, UK and Italy leading the way, with an average stay of 20 days. "In these intensive courses we provide classes in the morning and activities and excursions in the afternoon, with tapas trails, visits to museums and monuments, flamenco shows or learning to cook paella," said Peña.

Another student market profile is the one who comes to Malaga for a long-term stay of up to 35 or even 50 weeks. Typically coming from China, Japan, Korea, India, Russia or Morocco, among others, students seek a complete experience.

"After the pandemic, we have noticed that many people can extend their stay thanks to remote working. They can continue with their employment from Malaga and attend Spanish classes at the same time, something that did not happen before," said the director of the Cervantes International School.

Likewise, the Malaga academies offer advice to the student about accommodation. The lodgings most in demand are usually host families, shared apartments or private apartments in the case of whole families coming over on a study trip, another market niche that has increased in recent years.

"All the members of the family want to learn Spanish and go to their respective classes, along with the activities that are on offer to learn about Spanish culture and traditions," explained Peña.