English Communication Strategies in Staff-Guest Interaction: A Case Study at Highland Resort and Nature Tours Tomohon
Keywords:
Communication Strategies, English for Tourism, Hybrid Tourism, Frontline Staff, Risk Communication, Google TranslateAbstract
This study investigates the English communication strategies employed by frontline staff at Highland Resort and Nature Tours (HRNT) Tomohon when interacting with international guests. Set in a hybrid tourism environment that integrates hospitality services with high-risk outdoor activities, the study highlights the communicative demands faced by staff in ensuring both effective service and guest safety. A qualitative case study design was adopted, involving seven frontline staff members selected through purposive sampling. Data were collected through field observations and semi-structured interviews over a two-month period from April to May 2026. The data were analyzed using Dörnyei and Scott’s (1997) communication strategies taxonomy, encompassing direct, interactional, and indirect strategies. The findings revealed that interactional strategies were the most frequently used, particularly comprehension checks, confirmation requests, and response repair. Direct strategies, including circumlocution, approximation, and mime, were consistently employed by all participants to communicate technical and safety-related information. Indirect strategies, especially fillers, functioned as cognitive supports during demanding interactions. In addition, Google Translate emerged as a complementary digital resource used by five participants to bridge lexical and communicative gaps. These findings indicate that communication strategies in this setting function not only as linguistic compensation, but also as risk mitigation tools in high-stakes tourism activities. It is concluded that HRNT staff demonstrate notable communicative adaptability despite limited formal English proficiency. The study recommends role-based ESP training supported by structured digital communication practices for frontline tourism personnel.
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