Educational tourism as a resource for sustainable destination development.: A study case on Aalborg, Denmark
Translated title
: Uddannelsesturisme som en ressource for bæredygtig udvikling af destinationer.
Author
Stanci, Alexandra-Madalina
Term
4. term
Education
Publication year
2022
Submitted on
2022-05-31
Pages
50
Abstract
This thesis examines how international educational tourism can be leveraged as a resource for sustainable destination development in Aalborg, Denmark, by exploring the potential of a public–private partnership between Aalborg University and Aalborg Municipality. Framed by the UN 2030 Agenda and the growing role of partnerships in tourism, the study reviews literature on educational tourism, sustainable destination development, and PPPs, and adopts a Grounded Theory approach to construct insights from combined qualitative and quantitative data. Data were gathered from international students residing in Aalborg and from institutional representatives at the university and the municipality; analysis used open coding and constant comparative techniques. Three tentative explanations for sustainable advantage emerged: improving pathways into a professional job market in the green energy sector for international students; using study trips to build tourism awareness; and increasing visitation through acquaintances of international students. The discussion indicates that targeted municipal support for international students—especially in accessing engineering-related jobs—could provide a continuing sustainable resource for the city. The study concludes that a structured partnership between Aalborg University and Aalborg Municipality can help generate needed engineering talent while supporting international students, aligning local development with green transition goals.
Denne afhandling undersøger, hvordan international uddannelsesturisme kan bruges som en ressource for bæredygtig destinationsudvikling i Aalborg ved at afdække potentialet i et offentlig–privat partnerskab mellem Aalborg Universitet og Aalborg Kommune. Med afsæt i FN’s 2030-dagsorden og den voksende rolle for partnerskaber i turismen gennemgås litteratur om uddannelsesturisme, bæredygtig destinationsudvikling og OPP, og der anvendes Grounded Theory til at udvikle indsigter ud fra en kombination af kvalitative og kvantitative data. Data blev indsamlet blandt internationale studerende i Aalborg samt repræsentanter fra universitetet og kommunen, og analyseret via åben kodning og konstant komparativ analyse. Tre foreløbige forklaringer på bæredygtige fordele fremkom: bedre veje til et professionelt arbejdsmarked i den grønne energisektor for internationale studerende; brug af studieture til at øge turismebevidsthed; og øget tiltrækning af besøgende gennem de internationale studerendes bekendte. Diskussionen peger på, at målrettet kommunal støtte til internationale studerende – især i adgangen til ingeniørrelaterede job – kan udgøre en vedvarende bæredygtig ressource for byen. Afhandlingen konkluderer, at et struktureret partnerskab mellem Aalborg Universitet og Aalborg Kommune kan bidrage til at skabe den nødvendige ingeniørarbejdskraft og samtidig støtte internationale studerende i overensstemmelse med målene for den grønne omstilling.
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