Tourism multi‐sided platforms and the social innovation trajectory: The case of Airbnb

Abstract

Multi‐sided platforms (MSPs) have recently gained significant attention due to their disruptive innovation capacity, which is introducing deep changes in several industries. Previous work has studied how MSPs grow and design the development of their business models (BMs). However, none of the previous work has studied how these MSPs innovate their BM by leveraging and implementing social innovations. In this paper we aim at filling this gap. In particular, we focus on the tourism sector and, using the theoretical lens of business model innovation (BMI), we explore the Airbnb case study with a qualitative approach. We identify three main stages that characterized the innovation of the Airbnb's BM. Each of them presents specific peculiarities that have been analyzed. Our study offers new insights to understand how the BM of the MSPs is evolving toward a more sophisticated one that includes also a deeper orientation toward sustainable and social goals.