The Perception of the Turkish Students of the Study Destination Budapest

Resumo

Budapest is well known as a tourist destination, but it is also a study destination, attracting more and more international students each year. Destinations are important in tourism: their perceived image can influence the decision of travelers. The same is true for study destinations and educational tourism: the perceived image of a city and of a university among students influences whether a student prefers a given destination.

In the current research we analyze the image of Budapest as a study destination: we show the opinion of 10 Turkish students of the city and analyze the motivations and experiences behind and connected to their chosen place of study. We will show that the international reputation of the universities in the city is just one factor influencing students: accessibility and social and cultural activities also play a decisive role in the decision of students to study in Budapest. Results also show that Budapest as an educational destination fulfilled the expectation of Turkish students.