Motivations of educational tourists in non-English-speaking countries: the role of languages

Abstract

Learning or improving a language may be a key motivator so that students decide to participate in an exchange program, as well as to choose the destination to take part of their studies. Nevertheless, studies on educational tourism are limited, and there is no research on students’ motivations visiting non-English-speaking countries. To fill this gap, this paper aims to examine the motivations of university students in non-English-speaking destinations by using the push and pull framework. Primary data were collected through an on-line survey from 190 and 205 students who participated in mobility programs in a Spanish university and in a German university, respectively. Empirical findings reveal that languages are a key motivating factor, either to grow personally through cultural enrichment, or to grow professionally. Furthermore, these data allow to make generic recommendations so that the destinations can attract a larger number of international students.