Romanian Students As Cultural Tourists

Students could be important clients for travel agents since they do not have strong family - or even professional - responsibilities, they are more flexible in terms of the available time, they are more dynamic and eager for new experiences. Still, travel agents seem not to target them so much, probably considering that they prefer selforganized travels. In order to attract this special segment of tourists, more exploration is needed, to develop the profile of students as tourists, to uncover their interests in the field. The present study investigates the profile of Romanian students, both undergraduates and master-degree students, as cultural tourists. The research reveals that students are generally interested in all forms of tourism, including cultural tourism, they tend to travel more since their affiliation to the university, including for cultural reasons. The differences among male and female students are not so much related to traveling patterns but to the reasons and context of it. Young cultural tourists tend to be more self-concerned than other student tourists. The interest in traveling abroad for cultural reasons increases with the frequency of cultural travel in Romania as well as with the interest in culture in general.