Foot-and-mouth turning language students off England

The foot-and-mouth outbreak in Britain has not only hit the tourist and farming industry but also the English as a foreign language sector. England, the most popular destination for foreign students wishing to learn English, has seen the number of overseas students drop by 50 per cent in the Balearics, primarily because of the foot-and-mouth crisis and also the strength of the Pound against the Peseta. According to the schools and agencies which specialise in exchange language visits and placements with language schools, the number of students looking to learn English abroad has not fallen, they have merely opted for new destinations. Ireland has become increasingly popular during the foot-and-mouth crisis, so too have the United States, Australia and New Zealand. Pedro Camps, head of the Lenguaje y Comunicacion agency, says that the United Kingdom has suffered as a whole because of the foot-and-mouth outbreak and the number of student wishing to go to England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland has fallen by as much as 50 per cent.