Destination Analysis: UK universities
Industry statistics show that international student numbers at UK universities increased in the 2000/2001 academic year, with large increases from the Chinese market making up for decreases in a number of other main markets. Bad press overseas, coupled with economic problems, has been blamed for the decreases, but universities are confident that new student markets will continue to flourish.

Feature: Comparative costs
Cost is one of the most important considerations for students wanting to study abroad, according to agents worldwide, and cheaper destinations such as New Zealand and Australia are often attractive for that reason. However, many students are also careful to weigh up the potential value of their education experience abroad against the immediate monetary costs.

Subject Focus: Viticulture in Australia and New Zealand
Australia and New Zealand are popular destinations for international students wanting to take a course in viticulture, due to the countres' international reputations in the wine industry. There are a number of different courses for students to choose from, each varying slightly in their content by emphasising a different focus between grape cultivation and the science of wine making.

The stability of global economies plays a particularly important role in the international education industry, as changing economic fortunes affect the ability of students in many countries to study overseas. In this issue of Education Travel Magazine, consultants and educational institutions alike have been pointing to financial problems in a number of student markets as being a key factor influencing student trends in recent years.

UK universities, commenting on student trends for our Destination Analysis feature, mention that numbers from Singapore and Malaysia have been falling in recent years due to economic issues (page 5), while consultants taking part in our Consultants Report survey on Brazil note that university enrolments have been increasing due to the economic problems currently being experienced (page 9).

While such factors can be detrimental to education travel, as less people are able to afford the high costs associated with studying abroad, consultants also report that the opposite can be true, as students are more prepared to invest in their education to ensure long-term financial stability. This is borne out by our feature on comparative costs, in which a number of consultants state that student choice concerning study destinations is heavily influenced by cost concerns, but cost alone is by no means the deciding factor (page 7).

With many students keeping employment prospects in mind as they embark on their education overseas, we report on courses in viticulture in Australia and New Zealand, which attract students because of the countries' reputations as wine producers in the global industry. The local industries play an important role in influencing the subjects and techniques covered in courses and the countries' reputation as quality wine producers ensures that graduates are well received worldwide when it comes to looking for jobs (page 11).

The migration of students to countries offering better education and job opportunities is proving to be a concern for some of the major student markets amid fears of a 'brain drain' in certain key areas of commerce. Malaysia has established its own Malaysia Council, which will provide information about study opportunities in Malaysia to a number of countries, in a bid to offset the large numbers of Malaysians travelling overseas for study purposes (page 2). The Iranian government too has announced plans to allow foreign universities to set up campuses in the country in order to halt the number of Iranian students travelling overseas to study (page 3).

Off-shore campuses are becoming an increasingly important way for universities to strengthen their international profile, as well as forge links between different countries – especially in certain areas of the world where foreign travel is difficult. A study by the Chronicle of Higher Education shows that enrolments onto courses at US universities situated in the Middle East have increased since the events of September 11, 2001, as visa requirements and lack of confidence deter students from travelling overseas for study (page 3).

The introduction of the General Agreement on Trade and Services (Gats) could soon increase this trend as barriers affecting trade between countries are further abolished. This has lead to countries such as India taking steps to ensure that they can compete effectively with competition from overseas educational institutions (page 3).