ALTO has launched its trends barometer to ensure education providers have data required to make informed decisions as the study travel sector recovers.

Language travel providers have "consistently reduced" booking expectations since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, indicating that the sector "hasn’t turned the corner yet".

A survey of agencies and schools in major language learning destinations has revealed that over the summer 2020 period, both were expecting less than a fifth of business when compared with last year.

Immersive language education will need reforming and ring-fencing according to providers and agents, in order to ensure the longterm viability of the sector.

Behavioural fitness, habit-hacking, and the importance of "mindware training" were some of the key takeaways of The ALTO Day Berlin program 2018, which also saw ALTO celebrate 20 years as an association.

Jan Capper was awarded an honorary membership of ALTO to recognise the integral role she has played in developing and championing the language travel sector.

A concern over education agencies selling language school courses "based on what makes us the same, not what makes us different", was a standpoint pitched against a process of standardisation in the Big Debate at the IALC Workshop last week in Leeds and York.

Despite economic and political tensions in key ELT source markets, national initiatives to promote foreign language learning and a strengthening link of languages to employability are continuing to drive demand for study abroad in Brazil, Spain, Russia and Turkey.