Abstract Needs analysis plays an important role in English for specific purpose course design and development. This study investigated the needs and contents of English language for tourism as well as the teaching method preferences. The samples were 320 Thai EFL tertiary students who enrolled in Tourism English Courses. The research instrument was a set of questionnaires. The collected data were analyzed by frequency, percentage, mean and standard deviation. The findings revealed that all four macro English skills were needed at the highest level. Speaking is considered as the most important skill, followed by listening, writing and reading while the vocabulary and expressions should be as the basic for each mentioned skill development. The contents of English language for tourism included tourist attractions, transportation, accommodation, festivals and events, Thai foods, shopping and organizing a tour. When considering the teaching method preferences, the students indicated that the role playing, simulation, task-based and problem-based techniques can encourage them to achieve the goals of Tourism English courses. Based on the findings, it is suggested that for designing Tourism English Courses, the needs and contents of English language use as well as the teaching method preferences found should be considered and emphasized. The implication of these results may be as the guidelines for organizing a Tourism English syllabus which leads to the improvement for all Thai EFL tertiary students.