What Tourism Students Want and Need vs What Tour Guides Demand: An Indonesian 'Culture-Based English for Tour Guides' Material

This study, situated in the first stage of the Design-Based Research (DBR) framework, conducts a needs analysis for developing English learning materials for tour guiding that integrate Lombok's local culture. The data were obtained from multiple stakeholder groups through questionnaires administered to 24 tourism students and 4 lecturers, as well as semi-structured interviews with 3 professional local tour guides. Employing a mixed-methods design, quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics (percentages and mean scores), while qualitative data underwent thematic analysis facilitated by NVivo. Findings indicate a notable misalignment between the general English priorities emphasized by students and lecturers and the culturally specific communicative competencies highlighted by professional guides, particularly in narrating and contextualizing local cultural heritage in English. Current vocational English materials were found to be limited in cultural authenticity and inadequately aligned with real-world tour guiding discourse. In response, this study identifies culturally embedded content—such as the legend of Princess Mandalika, Sasak traditions, and Lombok's culinary and natural attractions—as essential thematic foundations for instructional materials. By aligning pedagogical content with professional communicative demands, this research advances English for Specific Purposes (ESP) scholarship and underscores the utility of DBR in systematically bridging the gap between academic instruction and authentic workplace language practices in the tourism sector. The outcomes provide a pedagogically grounded framework for developing culturally resonant, practice-oriented ESP materials that enhance both linguistic competence and cultural mediation skills.