Trends in European tourism: The case of educational tourism inside the Erasmus program

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to analyze the main trends shaping tourism in the European Union, with a focus on educational tourism. First, a brief literature review reveals the most important trends concerning the European tourism industry and the operators involved in tourism. Next, the particular case of educational tourism, with its most developed component – the Erasmus program – is investigated further. The case study reveals interesting shifts in the criteria used by students when choosing their destination for a scholarship abroad. The paper finds that there is a certain resemblance in the way students and tourists behave when choosing their destination. This calls for new, different ways to promote host universities, presented in the concluding section.