THE ROLE OF FUNCTIONAL ENGLISH FOR FRONT-LINE EMPLOYEES IN TOURISM AND THE HOTEL INDUSTRY

Abstract

This paperexplores the relevance of the Functional English for front-line employeesin the tourism and hotel sector,where effectivecommunication hasan essential roleto play in service deliveryand satisfaction of the customers. The research is qualitative and descriptive with a library-based approach, using secondary sources such as books, journal articles and research on English for Specific Purposes (ESP), hospitality communication, and tourism management.The results indicate that English is the main languageused as a medium of communicationas a lingua francain international tourism and is the language used by employees and guests from different linguistic backgrounds. The study also emphasizes that Functional English is vital to being able to carry out routineworkplace activities like greeting guests, booking and confirming reservations, giving information and dealing with complaints.It also indicates that communication skills make a huge impact on service quality, customer satisfaction and reputation of the organization. The study also highlights that the use of Functional English has grown online and requiringfor both spoken and written communication skills as a result of digital transformation. Although communication is an integral part of theEnglish for hospitality services(EHS)role, there is still a lack of training and limited practical exposure, leading to communication barriers. Overall, the study findings demonstrate that ESP-based training programs play a vitalrole in supporting employees' communication competence and in boosting the performance of the entire tourism and hospitality service.