Exploring the influence of information and communication technology, national leadership and educational quality on educational tourism demand

This study explores the role of information and communication technology (ICT) development, educational quality, and national leadership in explaining the behaviour of inbound educational tourism in Malaysia. The panel data from 2002 to 2019 across 149 countries that supply educational tourists to Malaysia for higher education were employed, and the censored (Tobit) panel regression analysis was executed in the analysis to strengthen the robustness of estimation results. Unlike the conventional expectation, the findings show that income has a non-linear quadratic relationship with educational tourism demand, whereas ICT infrastructure, educational quality and leadership quality have a positive effect on educational tourism. Besides, the impact of educational quality on tourism demand is moderated by ICT infrastructure and national leadership quality. The findings demonstrate that the impact of ICT infrastructure on the need for educational travel is also moderated by national leadership. Therefore, ICT infrastructure development, educational quality and national leadership are intertwined in influencing the choice of educational tourism destination. Several policies can be implemented to boost the educational tourism sector in Malaysia and thus stimulate economic growth.