The sharing economy and its implications for inclusive tourism

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic, climate change – with calls to reduce travellers’ carbon footprint – and digital innovations are emerging transformations that challenge the tourism sector. When it comes to the digital transformation, the sharing economy has been a key disruptor. Through sharing economy platforms such as Airbnb, individuals can share goods and services in economic transactions. Such platforms enable authentic travel experiences, allow for convenience and choice, offer heightened levels of sociability, and are competitive price-wise. However, recent literature has stressed some challenges. In tourism, such issues include gentrification, over-tourism, increased rent prices, and exacerbated social inequalities. Here, we focus on the last topic: sharing economy platforms can be inaccessible to certain groups and may come with barriers to inclusive tourism. This contribution thus aims to advance our knowledge on the inclusive potential of the sharing economy. Drawing on survey data across Europe, we investigate how demographic and psychological factors as well as digital skills affect participation in the sharing economy. We find that those in privileged positions are more likely to participate. These findings are contextualised within the inclusive tourism literature, and we provide recommendations for a more inclusive sharing economy, also in light of the COVID-19 pandemic and emerging transformations.