Direction: Language and Culture in Latin America

Like elsewhere in the world, the inbound market was back with a boom across Spanish-speaking Latin American countries in 2023, and numbers are approaching pre-pandemic levels. In Chile, Stefan Meffert, Director of Tandem Santiago , reported, “In 2023 we had 52 per cent more students than in 2022 for the same period, January to December, but still 29 per cent less than in 2018.”

In Argentina, inbound student numbers are also looking positive. Fernando Aguilar , Global Sales Director of Buenos Aires-based Expanish reports a 30 per cent increase from 2022; at Wanderlust Spanish , student numbers have increased by 20 per cent in 2023; and Buenos Aires Spanish School (BASP) reported a 20 per cent increase as well.

Highlighting a particularly impressive recovery, SPANISH WORLD INSTITUTE in Colombia has seen a 60 per cent increase in students in 2023. For Director Maria Rozo , this post-pandemic bounce-back can be attributed to the affordable living and studying costs in Latin American countries, as well as Colombia being an excellent destination for students to immerse themselves in the language and culture.

Maria says, “Any Latin American country is a good candidate for a language immersion since you already know what to expect culturally and about the hospitality you will enjoy. Another appeal is the possibility to explore and discover a South American country where the majestic Andean peaks are never far away!”

According to Fernando, another prominent reason for the growing popularity of Latin American countries as study destinations is the surge of remote workers or ‘digital nomads’ choosing to live and work in the continent.

He explains, “The increase in remote work has increased the number of Spanish language students as they can take a few weeks of vacation to study the language with us and then spend time in Argentina or other countries in the region, while continuing to work remotely.”

The popularity of the country for remote workers has also contributed to the growing interest in evening courses in Buenos Aires. He adds, “One popular program is our Evening Group Course, which is a part-time course ideal for those who are working in Buenos Aires. With the influx of digital nomads, we have seen a big increase in the popularity of this course. Our Buenos Aires center has a co-working space on the third floor and our students are really taking advantage of it.”

Another element that has impacted the demand for Latin America is the economic situation in countries such as Chile. Stefan explains that “travelling costs are getting lower for those students who come from Europe, Australia, Canada, and the USA which makes Latin America attractive for people with restricted budgets”.

When it comes to choosing a course in Latin America, it is clear that students are looking for more than just language training – cultural immersion is a huge part of the appeal. Because of this, many schools offer dynamic language courses that pair classroom time with tours, excursions, volunteering, and even longer trips in the region.

For example, Lorena Belcastro , Director of BASP, says that the school offers a ‘Travelling with my Spanish teacher’ course, which consists of a tour of three destinations in three weeks, with plenty of opportunities to practice Spanish and get involved with local cultural activities.

In Colombia, alternative activity courses are also extremely popular. Maria explains, “The most popular programs are the Bildungsurlaub Intensive Spanish; the General Spanish plus Colombian Culture; and the General Spanish plus Activities course. For the activities the popular ones are the graffiti tour, stroll around the historic center la Candelario and the Salsa dancing classes.”

Salsa isn’t the only type of dance that Spanish learners are eager to try their hand at either, according to Fernando, who explains, “Our Spanish & Tango Program is one of our most popular options as it is a destination-specific language plus activity program and a great way to experience Argentine culture. We have both advanced Tango dancers as well as complete beginners and many go out to milongas (Tango dance halls) at night to practice what they have learnt in class.”

For Kai Peter Weers, Founder and CEO of Pasantias Argentinas , the top course offerings of 2023 were four-week general Spanish intensive courses plus internship, volunteering, or farm stays – showing that language learners in Argentina are eager to get a sense of the culture through hands-on work.

Other cultural activities are also popular. Victoria Badino , Managing Director of Wanderlust Spanish, says that one of the school’s most sought-after electives is the Mate Experience, an activity to learn more about the culture of mate (a traditional herbal drink) in Argentina.

Despite the difficulties of the last few years, it is clear that Spanish language schools in Latin America are once again thriving, through determination and innovation.

Maria summarizes: “The pandemic has had a critical impact on the education business. However, with deep challenges come also opportunities for transformation. For us, the challenge is to maintain the quality of the face-to-face and online Spanish courses. I think it is quite possible to rebalance the mix between face-to-face and online classes. Teachers have started to innovate and experiment with new online tools while also taking advantage of the institute’s building. Past educational crises have shown that it is possible to build back better.”