The Tourist Experience of Heritage Urban Spaces: Valletta as a Case Study

This article provides an understanding of how tourists experience heritage urban spaces by investigating features that influence tourist experiences most. It is framed within urban design literature which refers to three elements of urban space namely physical setting (or form), activity, and meaning. These elements are used to explore how urban spaces are experienced by tourists. Its findings are derived from an in-depth qualitative analysis of interviews with tourists to Valletta, Malta. The research suggests that the intrinsic qualities of the space are relevant to the tourist experience but what is even more relevant are the interactions of the tourist with different elements within that space, namely interactions with surroundings, interactions with others, and interactions with self/meaning. Within this broad conceptual model, the research identifies important sub-themes. Some of these reinforce the findings of existing work on tourist experiences, but others are often under-estimated or neglected

Mobility patterns of Asian students: the case of tourism and hospitality management students in the UK

This study aims to investigate the driving forces of Asian students to study tourism and hospitality in the United Kingdom (UK) at three stages, including: (1) choice of a foreign country, (2) selecting the UK as the host country, and (3) undertaking tourism and hospitality courses. We collected data using questionnaires, distributing among tourism and management students attending a major higher education provider in the UK. The findings identified subgroups of push and pull factors that explain the movement patterns of Asian students toward studying tourism and hospitality in the UK. Using a mathematical equation, this study revealed that “seeking a better life,” “the nature of the program,” and “external influences” significantly impact students’ movements