Dusit Thani College and the Department of Tourism Advance the Development of a CEFR-Aligned English Proficiency Test for Thai Tourism Professionals

17 August 2026

The Department of Tourism, Ministry of Tourism and Sports, has commissioned Dusit Thani College to undertake the development of an English Proficiency Test aligned with the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) for Thai Tourism Professionals. The initiative aims to establish a standardised national assessment instrument for evaluating English language proficiency in a manner that is appropriate to the practical communication requirements of the tourism and hospitality industry.

The project is led by Dr. Atthawet Prougestaporn, Rector of Dusit Thani College, serving as Project Leader, together with Arj. Chisa Kittiyanapanya, Associate Dean of the Language Centre, and faculty members from the Language Centre who are responsible for developing the test items and working in collaboration with specialists from relevant organisations.

On Thursday, 13 August 2026, the project team organised the Second Meeting to Review the Draft English Proficiency Test and English Proficiency Assessment Handbook Based on the CEFR for Thai Tourism Professionals. The meeting was honoured by the presence of Ms. Worateera Suwannasorn, Deputy Director-General of the Department of Tourism, who presided over the session. A total of 24 experts and distinguished representatives from language institutes, educational institutions, government agencies, and private-sector organisations participated in the meeting, held at BB 203 Meeting Room, 2nd Floor, Centara Life Government Complex Hotel & Convention Centre, Chaeng Watthana, Bangkok.

The meeting aimed to review the appropriateness and quality of the draft test following revisions made in response to comments and recommendations received from experts during the previous review session. The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) serves as the principal reference framework for defining levels of language proficiency and ensuring that the assessment systematically reflects the English communication competencies required of tourism professionals.

The project aims to develop an item bank comprising 1,500 high-quality, standardised test items, covering appropriate language proficiency levels and incorporating vocabulary, situations, and communication tasks that reflect authentic working contexts within the tourism and hospitality industry. The recommendations provided by the experts at this meeting will be incorporated into subsequent revisions, as well as into the forthcoming processes for validating and evaluating the overall quality of the test items.

This initiative represents an important step towards establishing a centralised English proficiency assessment specifically designed for Thai Tourism Professionals, supported by a clearly defined international reference framework and capable of linking assessment outcomes with CEFR proficiency levels and authentic workplace requirements. The resulting assessment is expected to serve as an important mechanism for enhancing workforce capability and strengthening the competitiveness of Thailand’s tourism industry in the future.

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Dusit Thani College students win an international award from The Alliance Network for the second consecutive year

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