O perfil do intercambista na atualidade e suas motivações de viagem - um estudo de caso em Natal/RN

Abstract

The theme of this paper is educational tourism, which has been experiencing an increase in its demand in recent years, and its relationship with the Brazilian economic crisis and inequality. The research problem is: how to explain the increase in demand for educational tourism in the midst of the widespread crisis the country is facing? The general objective is to understand the reasons for the increased demand for educational tourism in Natal/RN during the current economic crisis, through the specific objectives: a) to describe the socioeconomic profile of the educational tourist leaving Natal; and b) identify the motivations that lead these people to make their trips. The methodology used was qualitative, through semi-structured interviews with 4 employees of educational tourism agencies located in Natal. The results show that the profile of the Natal educational tourist is mostly composed of upper class people, who were not so affected by the economic crisis, and by lower-class young people who want to migrate abroad and escape the situation the country is facing.