The competitive advantage of Airbnb in perception of tourists

Sandu, M.-A. & Purecel, E.-M. (2024). The competitive advantage of Airbnb in perception of tourists. CACTUS Tourism Journal, 29 (1). doi.org/10.24818/CTS/6/2024/1.05

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Abstract

Airbnb has experienced rapid growth, with millions of tourists using its service. This study seeks to identify the main reasons why tourists choose to use the Airbnb platform and its competitive advantages. To this end, online research was conducted with a sample of 49 respondents who have already used this type of service. The main results of the study show that price (53.1%), followed by the flat's facilities (22.4%) and location (20.4%) are the main motives for choosing Airbnb accommodation. When rating the importance of the main features that characterise Airbnb, 67.35% of respondents considered price to be very important and 65.31% rated location the same. In terms of satisfaction, the majority of respondents (59.2%) said they had a very satisfactory experience. Had Airbnb not existed, 53.1% of respondents would have opted for a hotel room. Hotels are therefore a major competitor for Airbnb and the advantages and independence of the services should be maintained or even improved.

Keywords

Airbnb, advantage, authenticity, tourists, hotels

JEL Classification

L83, M10, Z32

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