International students: potential clients for Mekong Delta Tourism

Abstract

International students are becoming a significant part of global mobility. Studies from different parts of the world have shown they not only have impacts on education but also contribute to tourism. They make up a distinctive group of international tourists characterized by travelling frequency, types of tourist activities, accommodation preferences, levels of expenditure and potentials of attracting visits of friends and relatives. In other words, international tourists not only directly contribute to but could also have long term impact on the destination country's tourism. As Vietnam has proactively engage in international integration in higher education, which would result in an increase in the influx of international students, an exploratory study on this group of potential tourists is needed. Based on researches from different countries this article identifies features of international students in conducting tourist activities before proposing recommendations for more effective engagement in this group of clients with the highlights of the role of Vietnam National University-Ho Chi Minh City (VNU-HCM) and linkages among higher education institutions in Ho Chi Minh City Metropolitan Area and the Mekong Delta.