Impacts of Educational Agritourism on Students’ Future Career Intentions: Evidence from Agricultural Exchange Programs

Tang-Ping Chen, Ku-Yuan Lee, Pegdwende Moise Kabre and Chi-Ming Hsieh
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Tang-Ping Chen: Department of Marketing and Logistics Management, Ling Tung University, 1, Ling Tung Rd., Taichung City 408213, Taiwan
Ku-Yuan Lee: College of Intelligence, National Taichung University of Science and Technology, No.129, Sec.3, Sanmin Rd, North Dist., Taichung City 40401, Taiwan
Pegdwende Moise Kabre: International Master Program of Agriculture, National Chung Hsing University, 145 Xingda Rd., South Dist., Taichung City 40227, Taiwan
Chi-Ming Hsieh: International Bachelor Program of Agribusiness, National Chung Hsing University, 145 Xingda Rd., South Dist., Taichung City 40227, Taiwan

Sustainability, 2020, vol. 12, issue 22, 1-19

Abstract: Destination tourists are a critical stakeholder for developing sustainable tourism. Exchange students as tourists have become a growing segment of the international tourism market. Students undertake courses, internships, or exchange programs at an overseas university for a period of time. Student exchange programs (SEPs) through educational tourism offer exchange students ample learning opportunities from local universities, industries, and other stakeholders. The purpose of this research was to assess the relationships between experiential benefits (including practical business benefits, rural environmental benefits, and personal sociocultural benefits), professional identity, career choice intentions, and support for educational tourism via SEPs. This study surveyed students from Taiwan, Thailand, Indonesia, Japan, Vietnam, and others who attended exchange programs in the field of agriculture in Taiwan and other host countries during the last 15 years and are back in their respective countries. Primary data on exchange students were collected using an online questionnaire survey with a sample size of 326 respondents. The results indicated that professional identity has a full intermediating influence on relationships among experiential benefits, career choice intentions, and support for educational tourism via SEPs. The findings are expected to contribute to the understanding of agricultural students’ SEP behaviors, and to provide suggestions for planning and managing relevant policy to encourage more students to join SEPs overseas.

Keywords: experiential benefit; professional identity; career choice intention; student exchange program; agritourism (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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