Impacts of Educational Tourism on Local Community: The Case of Gazimagusa, North Cyprus.

This study examined the impacts of educational tourism on the local community of Gazimagusa, North Cyprus through the cultural exchange that took place between local and international students. The study used an inductive approach in order to achieve a qualitative understanding of the research area. Semi-structured interviews with Turkish Cypriot students supplied valuable information about the experiences, beliefs, attitudes, behaviors, and perspectives of the local students.The findings demonstrate that local students were strongly affected by the cultural exchange that took place between themselves and international students.Educational tourism impacted on social, cultural, economic and environmental aspects of the local community.The findings also demonstrated that local students were very positive about the presence of international students in their community.