Educational tourism mobilities. The example of exchange students' experiences in the Barents Euro-Arctic Region

Abstract

This study presents findings from the interpretive study of students who completed an academic exchange program within the cooperation between Universities in the Barents region. Empirically this study aims to illuminate exchange student’s perspective in their academic mobilities practices. Through the analyses of the whole students’ experiences (before, during and after) of educational exchange. Theoretically, this research examines the relationship between mobility, tourism and exchange students’ practices. This study conducted by using qualitative way of internet-based in-depth interview technic as an instrument to collect data. The findings from the research illustrate how international exchange students’ experiences conceptualized in relation to tourist experiences theorized in existing tourism literature.