Page 15 - ELG2312 Dec Issue 487

FEATURE

Destination benchmark: obstacle race with mixed results Conversely, Malta and Ireland enjoyed a strong rebound in 2022.
In fact, Malta was the only destination to outperform its 2019 levels,
while Ireland was very close to achieving this significant milestone,
recording a 97% recovery.
Source markets ranking: LATAM going strong,
while Asia slowly recovers
Dr Ivana Bartosik, BONARD’s International Education Director,
explains, “The global sector is reconfiguring, with markets in
LATAM growing fast and other traditionally strong source
countries which the sector relied upon – such as China and
Italy, for example – being slower than expected in their recovery.
BONARD’s data, which provides a power ranking of the 90 largest
source countries in the world, points to some important shifts
in the global landscape.

Source: BONARD, 2023.

In 2022, the sector recovered 63% of its pre-pandemic student
week volume and 55% of its student numbers. However, recovery
was not uniform, and varied on a destination-to-destination basis.
In terms of absolute numbers, Australia registered the best
performance, followed by Canada, which enjoyed a robust Q4
in 2022. While in 2021 Canada was the best-performing study
destination, accounting for the largest number of student weeks
spent, complications with visa processing in the second half of the
year prevented Canada from achieving a more positive recovery
in 2022. Visa processing times and grant rates are key factors that
will determine Canada’s standing in 2023.
The UK also registered an impressive increase in the number
of student weeks between 2021 and 2022, but it still has a long way
to go to reach its 2019 market volume. With a limited recovery
from some of its key source markets and Brexit redirecting some Source: BONARD, 2023.
students to other ELT destinations, the country reached 53% of
the pre-pandemic situation. Key highlights
The recovery for the USA was slower in 2022 compared to Latin America showed the greatest rebound, recovering 87% of
other major destinations. In 2022, the USA welcomed 70,579 its 2019 student weeks in 2022. With the exception of Brazil, the
students, which represents 52% of its pre-pandemic volume. largest markets in the region (Colombia, Chile, Argentina, Peru,
The USA saw a decline in numbers even before 2019, and and Ecuador) registered impressive growth between 2021 and 2022,
factors such as long visa processing times and visa denials and fully recovered their 2019 market volume. Initial data for 2023
hampered growth. points to continued growth from the region, mostly to Australia
and Canada.
Japan outperformed China to become the largest market
in Asia. China dropped to the 4th spot as a result of the travel
restrictions, which were only removed earlier this year. The rebound
in group travel, in particular, is expected to manifest itself in
summer 2024.
The return to the new normal in Italy lagged behind other
EU markets. The country only reached 57% of its pre-pandemic
volume, which was far below the European average of 80%. Italy
is the largest source market for junior students. The market has
continued to gradually recover in 2023; however, it still lags
behind the other European markets and has not reached its
pre-pandemic volumes.
Turkey posted impressive year-on-year growth, which resulted
in a 97% market recovery. Strong demand for English abroad
continued to translate into bookings throughout the first half
of 2023.

Ivana Bartosik, PhD, is an International Education
Director at BONARD. She specialises in bespoke
market reports applying both qualitative and
quantitative methodologies. Over the course of
six years, she has worked on numerous projects
for associations, education agencies and individual
education providers providing data-driven guidance.
Source: BONARD, 2023.
editorial@elgazette.com 15