An Investigation of travel motivation as a factor in international students' choice of a foreign university: a Thai case study

Abstract

International student mobility is an increasingly important market for both the international education services sector and the tourism sector. According to OECD (2007), international student mobility has grown from 0.61 million worldwide in 1975 to 2.73 million in 2005; this represents more than a four-fold augmentation. The international student market is likely to increase to about 5.8 million by year 2020 (British Council, 2004). The youth and student travel market has been recognized as a growing segment in the global travel market and a significant contributor to the economy of the destination country (British Council, 2004; Kim, Noh, & Jogaratnam, 2007; Llewellyn-Smith & McCabe, 2008; Mazzarol, 1998; OECD, 2007; Richards &Wilson, 2003; Shanka, Ali-Knight, & Pope, 2002; Ward & Masgoret, 2004). As a result, countries and universities are increasingly devoting marketing efforts to attract international students. A few researchers have investigated the international student phenomenon (e.g., Llewellyn-Smith & McCabe, 2008; Michael, Armstrong, & King, 2003; Ritchie & Priddle, 2003). However, much is yet to be understood about international students’ motivations and decision making processes to choose a university in a foreign land. The purpose of this study was to investigate travel (pleasure travel) motivation as a factor in international students’ choice of a foreign university. The study was conducted in an international university in Bangkok. A sample of 153 international students, defined as students who are not permanent residents of their country of study or alternatively students who received their prior education in another country of study (OECD, 2007), was drawn for this study. A structured questionnaire was sent by email to ascertain the respective roles of international students’ travel motivation factors and academic motivation factors in their choice of a foreign university. The response rate was 88.63%. An exploratory factor analysis was conducted to underlie the importance of travel motivation factors and the academic motivation factors that lead international students to choose Thailand as a study destination. The results show that travel motivation factors can be considered as primary motivation factors, while the academic motivation factors are secondary factors for international students who chose Thailand as a study destination. Thailand has a strong brand image and reputation as a travel destination. This can be considered a competitive advantage for the country and this should be used in universities’ recruiting efforts to attract international students.