Travellers who use Airbnb tend to be motivated by the service’s practical benefits (low cost, convenient location, and household amenities), and usually rent entire homes rather than sharing the accommodation with a host, finds a new report released by Ted Rogers School of Management at Ryerson University.
“This is one of the first studies of its kind to examine the motivations of Airbnb tourists,” says Daniel Guttentag, an assistant professor in the Ted Rogers School of Hospitality and Tourism Management.
“Airbnb has grown rapidly since its launch in 2008 and has attracted a great deal of attention from the hotel industry, as well as from policymakers who are looking to find ways to regulate the sharing economy.”
To examine the motivations of it’s users, Guttentag conducted an online survey between July and October 2015, which was completed by 844 respondents who stayed in an Airbnb accommodation at least once within the previous year.
The survey asked participants, mostly from Canada and the U.S., about their motivations for choosing Airbnb, and whether they used the service as a substitute for existing accommodations. The participants were also asked about the purpose of their trip, party size, and length of their vacation stay.
Finally, the survey also asked how often the tourists booked accommodations on Airbnb and the likelihood they would recommend the service to friends and family members.
Report highlights
- Tourists are mostly motivated to book Airbnb accommodations because of their low cost, convenient location, and household amenities. They are generally less motivated by the opportunity to interact with the host or other locals, or by the promise of an authentic, local experience. This finding contrasts with Airbnb’s marketing efforts, which focus more on the service’s experiential side.
- 61 percent chose Airbnb as a substitute for a budget or mid-range hotel.
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