Daumantas Bočkus

Purpose: This paper examines the tensions and paradoxes faced by Nordic-Baltic universities of applied sciences (UAS) in the context of internationalization, particularly within tourism management programs. By analysing case studies from Germany, Sweden and Lithuania, the research highlights the conflicting expectations UAS encounter as they balance regional development mandates with internationalization imperatives. The study reveals persistent paradoxes – such as the “cooperation-competition” dynamic and the struggle between vocational education and research ambitions – exacerbated by EU-driven policies like the Bologna Process and Lisbon Agenda. These findings underscore the need for nuanced strategies that reconcile local relevance with global competitiveness, while addressing resource constraints and stakeholder pressures. The paper contributes to critical debates on HE internationalization, advocating for adaptive frameworks that acknowledge the unique challenges of non-elite institutions. Design/methodology/approach: This study employs a qualitative, comparative case study approach to investigate the tensions and paradoxes arising from internationalization in Nordic-Baltic UAS. By analysing three UAS institutions in Germany, Sweden and Lithuania, the methodology integrates historical and contemporary data from policy documents, legislative sources and academic literature, supplemented by firsthand observations and stakeholder reflections. This multi-layered approach ensures reliability and credibility, while acknowledging the inherent limitations of case study generalizability. The analysis is structured around the dimensions of spatial orientation and academic identity, drawing on the paradox theory to interpret the conflicting expectations and operational challenges faced by UAS in a poly-crisis environment. Findings: The study reveals that Nordic-Baltic UAS face persistent tensions between their regional mandates and internationalization ambitions. Case studies from Germany, Sweden and Lithuania highlight paradoxes such as the “cooperation-competition” dynamic, the clash between vocational education and research expectations and the struggle to integrate international students into locally anchored programs. These challenges are exacerbated by EU policies like the Bologna Process, which prioritize competitiveness while undermining cohesion. The findings underscore the resource constraints, stakeholder conflicts and systemic barriers UAS encounter, emphasizing the need for adaptive strategies that balance local relevance with global engagement in an increasingly turbulent higher education landscape. Research limitations/implications: This study's limitations stem from its qualitative case study design, which, while offering depth, restricts generalizability to broader higher education contexts. The focus on three Nordic-Baltic UAS may not capture the full diversity of internationalization challenges across Europe. Data reliance on policy documents, stakeholder reflections and institutional reports introduces potential bias, and the dynamic nature of EU policies may render some findings time-sensitive. Additionally, the absence of quantitative metrics limits the ability to measure the scale and impact of identified tensions and paradoxes. Practical implications: The paper's findings offer critical insights for policymakers and UAS leaders navigating internationalization. Institutions must develop adaptive strategies to reconcile regional mandates with global ambitions, such as targeted support for international students and faculty, and streamlined administrative processes for EU-funded projects. Strengthening partnerships with local industries and investing in applied research capacities can enhance both regional relevance and international competitiveness. Addressing resource constraints and stakeholder conflicts requires innovative governance and funding models, ensuring UAS can sustainably balance vocational education with evolving academic and international expectations. In particular, this includes differentiated research expectations that recognise the applied orientation of UAS rather than imposing metrics designed for research universities. Social implications: The study exposes how internationalization in higher education amplifies social tensions within Nordic-Baltic UAS, particularly between local communities and global aspirations. The influx of international students and faculty staff enriches cultural diversity but risks marginalizing regional stakeholders, exacerbating disparities in access, integration and resource allocation. Rising nationalism and anti-immigration sentiments further complicate efforts to foster inclusivity and cohesion. These dynamics challenge UAS to act as bridges – promoting social mobility and intercultural dialogue while mitigating inequalities. The findings underscore the need for policies that align internationalization with social equity, ensuring that global engagement does not come at the expense of local belonging and collective well-being. Originality/value: This paper advances the discourse on higher education internationalization by focusing on the understudied context of Nordic-Baltic UAS, which occupy a distinct niche between vocational training and academic research. Unlike prior studies centered on elite or research-intensive institutions, this research uncovers the unique tensions and paradoxes UAS face – such as the dual pressures of regional embeddedness and global competitiveness – through a comparative, qualitative lens. By integrating paradox theory with empirical case studies, the paper offers a novel framework for understanding how poly-crisis environments and EU policies like the Bologna Process reshape institutional identities and operational realities, contributing fresh insights to both theory and practice in international higher education.

1. Wellness tourism is experiencing rapid expansion within the broader tourism industry, reflecting significant changes in consumer behaviour and market dynamics (Dillette et al., 2021; Martins et ...

This multiple case study encompasses market perspectives from the supply and demand side by analysing wellness conception, tourists’ motivations, and service preferences in Finland, Russia, and Lithuania. The findings reveal that differences in the conception of wellness are shaped by natural resources, landscapes, traditions, and legislation. The Finnish wellness concept is mostly based on activities in nature, while Lithuanian wellness is more medically oriented, with a focus on curative natural resources and water-based treatments. The Russian wellness concept proved to encompass elements of both Finnish and Lithuanian concepts. Results from the survey showed that motivations associated with rest and relaxation were dominant among all the source markets, but significant differences were identified in terms of the importance of beautification, improvement in physical condition, nature, and the desire to indulge in luxury experiences. This study suggests that the wellness concept in the source market may affect the motivations and service preferences of wellness tourists when travelling abroad.

This study surveyed 1562 wellness tourists in Finland, the St. Petersburg area, and Lithuania to explore what were their motivations for taking a wellness trip, to investigate what differences there were between different nationalities and determine how wellness tourists could be segmented based on their motivation. As most previous studies analysed wellness tourism motivations in one chosen destination, this study fills the gap in cross-cultural analysis of motivations. Exploratory factor analysis revealed six motivational factors including status, beauty and appearance, personal development, nature and outdoors, socialization, and resting and relaxation, the latter factor being dominant across all nationality groups. Seemingly unrelated regression analysis revealed significant differences in terms of the importance of beautification, improving physical condition, nature, and the desire to indulge in luxury experiences.

Responding to the research gap in cross-cultural studies in wellness tourism this study aims to increase the understanding about the differences in wellness tourists’ service preferences in different source markets by investigating how service preferences are associated with motivational factors. Based on 1,562 online survey responses from wellness tourists residing in Finland, Russia (St. Petersburg area), and Lithuania, an exploratory factor analysis and seemingly unrelated regression analysis were performed to analyse the cross-cultural differences. The results revealed that swimming pools, saunas, massages and body care are dominant services for all nationality groups, while services related to Eastern traditions are the least important. However, there are significant differences regarding the importance of services such as beauty treatment, services related to medical wellness, spa and wellness packages among others. An analysis of the associations between service preferences and motivational factors and significant differences in the strength and direction of those associations revealed that wellness tourists from different source markets may be driven by different motivations for choosing the same services.

This article analyses business market change factors of travel agencies in Lithuania. Travel agencies and organizers represent an important part of tourism sector, which includes all functions and forms of tourism as well as reflects the trends of this industry. Travel agency business is affected by intense external and internal market change factors. The problem of the research raised in the introduction is that business conditions of the travel agencies are getting complicated. There are two principal external factors that made the most significant impact on travel agency market: internet with new information technologies and deregulation of passenger air transport. The article identifies internal change factors of travel agency business market, analyses emerging challenges and their impact, and the managerial response is analysed which would help travel agencies survive in this business. KEY WORDS: travel agency market, market change factors, information technologies, deregulation.