Investigating Intercultural Communication Gaps in English for Occupational Purposes: A Case Study of Tourism Agencies in Ghardaïa

Abstract

This dissertation explores intercultural communication gaps in English for Occupational Purposes (EOP) encounters between tourism agency staff and international visitors in Ghardaïa, Algeria. Drawing on Hall's accounts of high- and low-context communication, proxemics, and temporal orientation, it sets out to describe the shape of these gaps, trace their likely sources, and consider what they might mean for vocational training in the sector. The study followed a descriptive, exploratory mixed-methods case study design, drawing on questionnaires, semi-structured interviews, and structured observations across 17 tourism staff members and four international tourists from the United Kingdom, Hong Kong, Canada, and Malaysia. The data were read thematically and descriptively, with triangulation across the three instruments used to compare what staff reported, what tourists experienced, and what was observed in situ. Patterns in the material suggest that the communication gaps emerge from the combined weight of limited spoken English and the near absence of formal intercultural training within the agencies. Relational moves such as small talk appear under-used, even in exchanges with visitors from cultures where such markers tend to carry considerable interactional weight. Tourist satisfaction seemed to track guide adaptability and language proficiency more closely than the visitor's cultural background on its own. Taken together, the observations point toward a joint linguistic-cultural shaping of communication outcomes and indicate that integrating Hall's framework into EOP training could strengthen intercultural competence among Ghardaïa's tourism workforce. intercultural communication, English for Occupational Purposes, Hall's theory, high-context communication, tourism, Ghardaïa, Algeria