International Students: Linking Education and Travel

ABSTRACT

Despite growing research interest in international students, potential links between international tourism and education have received little attention to date. A survey among full-degree foreign students at an Australian university aims to fill this gap. The identified links between travel and study and the conversion of desired into actual travel lead to a proposed conceptual framework of information sources, destination image, and a continuum of study and tourism activities. Further research is proposed to better understand mutual influences of education and travel, their relative importance for international students, and the opportunities for cooperation and exploitation of synergies among respective authorities.

Keywords:

• International students
• destination image
• destination choice
• study destination
• pull factors
• higher education

Notes

1.Uluru is the now increasingly used indigenous name for the monolith that European explorers originally referred to as Ayers Rock. In tourism advertising both names are often used alongside each other. They were both used here as some international students may be more familiar with one or the other.