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

• Author: Marinescu N.
• Pages: 281-286

Bulletin of the Transilvania University of Braşov

Series V: Economic Sciences • Vol. 10 (59) No. 2 - 2017

Trends in European tourism: The case of educational

tourism inside the Erasmus program

Nicolae MARINESCU1

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.

Key-words: tourism, European Union, Erasmus

1. Current developments in European tourism

Tourism is the third largest socio-economic activity within the European Union

(EU). It directly generates up to around 5% of the EU GDP and employs 5.2% of the

EU workforce. When also considering other linked activities, this percentage of

income increases to 10% of GDP (Juul, 2015).

European tourism is dominated by small and medium-sized enterprises

(SMEs). Accommodation facilities in the European Union (most of them owned and

run by members of a family) offer a consistent range of services, especially in the

countryside, which would be difficult to replicate by large hotel chains, at

comparable prices. Big hotels flourish in urban centres, based on business tourism

and lower seasonality, so as to cover their high fixed costs. Meanwhile, SMEs

remain unmatched for a balanced distribution of tourist flows in the scattered

territory. Thus, the tourism industry keeps its highly fragmented character.

A general overview on the evolution of tourism companies in the EU in the

last 50 years indicates four distinct phases, each with its own success factors

(Schertler, 1994). These phases are detailed below.

 Phase 1 (1950-1985): focus on capacity expansion

1 Transilvania University of Braşov, marinescu@unitbv.ro