A World of Books: 9 English Tourism Books You Will Love

YOU ARE READING: A World of Books: 9 English Tourism Books You Will Love | FluentU English AT PhebinhvanhocEN

In “The Light Fantastic” by author Terry Pratchett, Twoflower was a tourist who believed “that anyone could understand anything he said [if] he spoke loudly and slowly.”

If you’ve traveled, you may have met someone like twoflowers.

You are reading: English for tourism books

The problem is that even if you speak very slowly and clearly, you can’t make someone understand a foreign language!

However, there is a simple solution, and it is used by tourists from all over the world: speak English.

Wherever you go in the world, even if you don’t speak the native language of the region, you can probably find someone who speaks English. That is why English is so important for people who work in tourism.

English has become an international language.

Already have a job in the tourism industry? Knowing tourism English will make it easier for you to communicate with other people and do your job better.

Are you interested in working in the tourism industry? Knowing English can help you get a job in tourism as it is an important skill for this type of work.

why would you want to work in the tourism industry? well…

download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable pdf that you can take anywhere. click here for a copy. (download)

why work in the tourism industry?

what exactly is the tourism industry?

A tourist is someone who is going to see or explore a place that is not their home. people who help tourists are part of the tourism industry. jobs in tourism include:

hotel jobs, such as receptionist or manager.

jobs in airports and airplanes as a ticket seller or flight attendant (the person who helps and assists people on airplanes).

event organizer or concierge, who is responsible for helping tourists obtain event tickets and transportation.

transportation jobs, such as a taxi driver or chauffeur (a personal driver).

local entertainment jobs like tour guide or restaurant worker.

That’s just a small list…there are many other types of jobs in tourism!

Working in tourism is great because there are so many possible jobs, there are often opportunities to grow and get promoted. As long as people continue to travel, there will always be tourism jobs.

how touristic english differs from normal english

English is used by people all over the world, so it is important to know the language in tourism jobs. when you meet someone from a different country, you can usually use English to understand each other.

Tourist English is a bit different from normal English:

is more polite and formal. Since your job is to assist (help) tourists and other customers, you should use language that shows respect.

There is a lot of repetition. Many tourism jobs repeat a lot of the same vocabulary and statements. For example, if you work as a taxi driver, you will often ask people about their destination, where they are going. you will need to understand directions and directions.

It’s simple and clear. Many tourists speak English, but not all tourists speak English well. Your English should be simple and clear enough for anyone to understand, even those who don’t know much English.

The way you learn tourist English is also a bit different from how you would learn normal English.

You can learn from TV and movies, from online classes, and from many other sources. Another great way to learn tourist English is by using books, and that’s what we’re going to talk about in the rest of this post.

choosing the right book for you

There are two types of books you can use to learn tourism English: textbooks and tourist guides.

textbooks are generally intended to be used in a classroom setting, with a teacher guiding you through the information. Some textbooks also come with workbooks, which have summaries of textbook material and exercises where you can practice what you’ve learned.

Tourist guides are written for tourists. They describe the best places to visit, the best hotels to stay in, and other useful information for someone traveling to a new place. many tour guides also include historical information and give advice on the best times to visit popular places…it’s like having a native friend give you insider information, or information from someone who lives where you are. you are visiting .

The type of book you choose depends on your study style. If you like things to be explained clearly and in an organized way, you’ll probably like textbook learning. if you prefer to learn by seeing how the language is used in a natural context, and if you don’t mind learning without any guidance, you may prefer to use a travel guide.

You can learn a lot from both kinds of books, but you have to study them differently.

here are some tips for learning as much as you can from textbooks and touring books.

tips for learning tourism English from textbooks

If you can, take a hospitality and tourism English class. Textbooks work best when you have a teacher to help you understand the information.

review before reading. Basically, review means reviewing the text without reading every word. Every time you start a new chapter, flip through the chapter pages first. look at chapter titles and any words in bold or italics. read the introduction and abstract if there is one. this will help you prepare for new information and give you a good idea of what the chapter will teach you.

Do a little at a time. The writing in textbooks can sometimes be hard to understand, or there can be too much information on each page. don’t try to rush through the whole book. instead, learn one thing at a time. only move on to the next chapter of a textbook when you fully understand the material in the previous chapter. it may take a little longer, but it will help you learn better.

Schedule study time… and break time. Make sure you have time to study, in a quiet, comfortable area with no distractions. don’t forget to take breaks. refresh your mind by relaxing for ten minutes every now and then, and refresh your body by using these breaks to get up and move.

Read each chapter twice. The first time you read a chapter, don’t take notes. just read it and try to understand. you can make a mark with a pen where you don’t fully understand something. on the second reading, read more carefully, take notes, and spend some time understanding the confusing parts.

tips to learn tourism English from travel books

don’t read tourist guides like a book. even tourists don’t read the whole guide from cover to cover! there is too much information about too many things in these books. instead, read a few sections from each part of the book.

focus on vocabulary and phrases. some words are used over and over again in travel guides. words like attractions (interesting places to visit), itinerary (a list of all the events scheduled on your trip), and accommodations (places to stay , such as a hotel) are often used in the tourism industry. If you see a word or phrase repeated more than once in the book, write it down and look it up.

Use a travel guide of the country or city where you would like to work. By doing this, you can learn about the different historical facts of the area, places to visit and tips. to know where to eat and what to do. Knowing an area will help you in a tourism job!

Take notes in sections. Tour guides are often organized by location, with information on places to stay, eat, explore, and more. When you’re taking notes, organize them by topic instead of location. for example, put together all the notes related to transportation, historical terms and facts in another section, and restaurant vocabulary in another section.

Thanks to all these tips, you are now ready to start learning English for tourism!

textbooks and workbooks

“tourism 1 student book”

Published by high-quality publisher Oxford Press, this workbook is excellent for any student who is interested in a tourism job.

the first workbook teaches you how to talk about and sell tourism products like airline tickets and vacation trips.

There are other books in the series, so you can choose the one that fits what you’re looking to learn.

“going international: english for tourism student’s book”

this is another book from oxford press, which focuses on learning tourism vocabulary.

Each section has a summary with all the vocabulary and ideas on how to use what you learned in the real world. that makes this a great book to use if you are already working in the travel industry.

“English for international tourism”

This textbook is from another well-known publisher, Pearson. uses lots of photos and has some audio sections so you can hear the material out loud.

The book is well organized, but it is very dense (it has a lot of information in one place) so it is best to read this with a teacher or at least a friend or another student, so you can practice with it in group activities. .

“flash in English for tourism”

The “flash on” series is divided into short, easy-to-understand units. “flash on english for tourism” is a workbook, so it is much more interactive than a textbook, with many ways to test your vocabulary knowledge and skills.

tour guides

“rick steve’s europe”

rick steve’s travel guides are written in a friendly and easy to understand way. There are guides to many European countries, but even if you can’t find the country you’re interested in, you can learn a lot from Steve’s books.

The books use a lot of tourist vocabulary words (such as sights and accommodation) and some interesting historical facts about the sights (if you’re interested!)

“let’s go” travel guides

The “Let’s Go” series of travel guides is written for students and includes more “trendy” attractions, like bars and where to meet other young people. If you’re going to work in a place where you expect to see a lot of young people, this book is a great way to learn some college-age tourism vocabulary.

“lonely planet”

The “lonely planet” guides are not easy to read even for a native speaker, so don’t try to understand everything. instead, use these books to look up vocabulary and phrases, such as world-famous (known throughout the world) and staying overnight (when you only stay in a hotel for one night).

“bradt’s eccentric” series

For a book that’s both educational and interesting to read, try Brandt’s Eccentric Series. these books talk about things to see that are eccentric, unusual, and a little weird. they are more interesting than the normal tour guides, but still use all the vocabulary and phrases you would need for a job in the industry.

bill bryson travel books

bill bryson’s books are not travel guides, but they are travel books.

These books are a great way to see different places through someone else’s experiences. Bryson writes about her adventures in places like England and America. Her books are great reading and a fantastic way to improve your English, and with the theme of travel, there are also plenty of phrases and words to learn as a tourism English learner. Thanks to these textbooks and tour guides your English will be ready for a job in tourism.

Just don’t be surprised when reading them makes you want to travel too!