Reworking Student Understanding of Tourism Mobility: Experiences of Migration and Exchange on a Field Trip

ABSTRACT

This paper examines experiences of tourism students engaged in a learning activity based on a visit to a migrant centre on the outskirts of Valetta, the capital of the Mediterranean island of Malta. This exercise aims to problematise students’ understanding of mobility and exchange in the tourism context. Malta has been subject to proportionally significant numbers of arrivals of asylum seekers since accession in 2004. Student reflections are examined through a focus group methodology and material from reflective journals, reporting discomfort but valuable learning outcomes, particularly in the degree of caring about others forced into alternative forms of mobility. Whilst an uncomfortable visit for many students, we have found this a useful discussion exercise against a backdrop of increasing migration controls, and an important contrast in relation to unfettered tourist mobility. We also highlight the importance of exchanges between students, teachers, hosts and others in alternative economic and educational discourse.

KEYWORDS:

• Contextual education
• mobility
• exchange
• migration
• Malta
• reflective journals

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank the tourism degree students from Aberystwyth University who participated in the trips to Malta between 2009 and 2017 as well as our Maltese hosts, particularly Fiona. As well as learning about the complexities of tourism development from us, we gained many insights into their personal and professional opinions, which have indeed shaped our own. We would also like to thank the guest editors and anonymous reviewers for this paper who made helpful comments in refinement of the manuscript.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.