U3 | L2 Interactive Resource
Page 02
Level C1
Suggesting a course of action
In the tourism industry, making appropriate suggestions is essential to ensuring a positive experience for visitors. Hospitality professionals often need to recommend activities, services, or solutions to improve customer satisfaction. In the case of Colombia’s Coffee Belt, staff members at the coffee farm must propose suitable options that align with the interests and cultural expectations of their guests. To do this effectively, they must master the art of suggesting a course of action in a professional and culturally sensitive manner.
Click on each item for more information
Using Advanced Passive Structures in Suggestions
One of the most effective ways to make professional suggestions in tourism is by using advanced passive structures. These structures allow formal and diplomatic communication, shifting the focus from the person making the suggestion to the action itself. This is particularly useful when addressing international visitors, as it makes recommendations to sound more objective and respectful.
Consider the following active and passive suggestions:
- Active: “We recommend that you visit the coffee processing area.”
- Passive: “It is recommended that the coffee processing area is visited.”
- Active: “The guide suggests trying different coffee varieties.”
- Passive: “The guide suggests trying different coffee varieties.”
By using passive constructions, the emphasis is placed on the action rather than the speaker, making the recommendation sound more neutral and professional.
Making Indirect and Diplomatic Suggestions
In hospitality, direct recommendations may sometimes come across as too strong or imposing. Instead, using indirect or tentative language can make a suggestion sound more formal and accommodating. Here are some key sentences:
- “It might be a good idea to…”
- “You may want to consider…”
- “One possibility could be to…”
- “It has been advised that…”
For example, a staff member at the coffee farm might say:
- “It has been advised that guests take the guided tour before visiting the souvenir shop.”
- “It might be a good idea to savor different coffee flavors before making a purchase.”
These sentences allow a more sophisticated and refined communication style, which is essential in a multicultural context.
Contextual Application: Recommending Activities to Visitors
Imagine that a group of Japanese tourists is visiting the coffee farm. The staff needs to recommend activities while ensuring cultural sensitivity. Using passive structures and diplomatic language, the conversation might go as follows:
By structuring suggestions in this manner, the staff ensures that visitors feel guided without being pressured.
Encouraging Sustainable and Ethical Choices
Another key aspect of making recommendations in tourism is promoting responsible travel. Staff members can encourage sustainable choices without sounding demanding. Here are some examples:
- Active: “We ask you to respect the local environment.”
- Passive: “Visitors are kindly requested to respect the local environment.”
- Active: “We suggest supporting local farmers by purchasing their products.”
- Passive: “It has been encouraged that visitors support local farmers by purchasing their products.”
These structures make the suggestions more professional and aligned with the cultural awareness training the coffee farm staff has received.
Using advanced passive structures allows hospitality professionals to communicate effectively, making recommendations that are formal, neutral, and culturally appropriate. As we have seen, the ability to suggest a course of action plays a fundamental role in the tourism experience, ensuring that visitors feel guided while keeping autonomy in their choices.