Peer-to-peer accommodation in destination life cycle: the case of Nordic countries

Abstract

Internet platforms, enabling short-term rental of private houses, are an increasingly important provider of tourist accommodation. The largest peer-to-peer accommodation platform is Airbnb. To date, most geographical studies on Airbnb investigated spatial patterns and effects of platform activity on large cities. This study attempts to expand the understanding of the role of Airbnb in various types of urban and non-urban tourism destinations. It employs Tourism Area Life Cycle model to investigate the differences in the quantity of peer-to-peer accommodation in destinations in various stages of their life cycles. Five Nordic countries are used as the study setting. A database of 61 thousand active non-hotel Airbnb listings is compared with statistical data obtained from national statistical institutions on regional (74 NUTS-3 regions) geographical scale. The results show that peer-to-peer rental supply and use is concentrated in destinations characterised by the quick increase in the number of tourist visits.