International PhD students and Visiting Friends and Relatives (VFR) tourism: The case of New Zealand : A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy at Lincoln University

Abstract

This research explores the intersection of visiting friends and relatives (VFR) tourism and international education. It examines the VFR tourism experiences of international PhD students in New Zealand, with the focus on their VFR tourism behaviour, the host–guest relationship manifested in their VFR tourism, and the impact of their domestic visiting friends (VF) tourism experience on their sociocultural adaptation in the host country. This study employed mixed methods: quantitative and qualitative. The quantitative approach was undertaken with international PhD students enrolled in New Zealand universities via a structured online survey. A total of 419 responses were used for analysis. The qualitative component, conducted subsequently to the online survey, used a focus group format. Participants of the focus groups included international PhD students enrolled in New Zealand universities who had had some VFR tourism experiences after starting their PhD studies. Six focus groups were conducted, and each focus group discussion lasted approximately 60 minutes. The results of this study indicated that the participation of international PhD students in New Zealand in VFR tourism was significant, and that their VFR tourism behaviour had distinctive characteristics in terms of forms of participation, timing, frequency, accommodation, and undertaken activities. The identification of VFR tourism in a third place and VFR in transit has important implications for the conceptualisation of VFR tourism. Complexities of the host–guest relationship manifested in VFR tourism of international PhD students were illustrated through the ways VFR hosts and VFR guests were perceived, as well as the transitions and interactions between these roles, which depends on the context of the hosting and guesting experiences. Differences between hosting friends and hosting relatives were noted, which adds support for disaggregation of the VF and visiting relatives (VR) categories. These differences included the likelihood of performing certain hosting tasks, the perceived intensity of hosting problems, the level of demand or perceived obligation, the likelihood of participating in activities with guests, and the type of activities undertaken. Another significant finding of this research is the exploration of how domestic VF tourism influences the sociocultural adaptation of international PhD students. This impact can be explained in five main ways: enhancing and developing one’s social network, improving mental health and wellbeing, increasing local knowledge, improving English proficiency, and enhancing the feeling of home. These findings reinforce the sociocultural significance of VFR tourism experiences for international PhD students. Based on the results of this study, an integrative framework was developed to help describe the nuance of the intersection between VFR tourism and international education. Overall, this thesis adds to the understanding of the VFR tourism phenomenon of international PhD students. The transient and fluid nature of the VFR host–guest roles in the case of international PhD students based on contextual changes also contributes to understanding the complicated intersections of phenomena resulting from global mobilities. Implications of the current study are important for both the tourism and export education sectors. In addition, the study sheds more light on the conceptualisation of the tourism–migration nexus and indicates potential avenues for further research examining the links between different forms of global mobilities, and their impacts on various aspects of life such as the development and enhancement of personal relationships, and adaptation in new environments.