Digitalisation and the sharing economy. A survey-based research on Airbnb in Romania

Abstract

The collaborative (or sharing) economy continues to shape the tourism industry, challenging both the traditional areas of supply, but especially the trust and digital skills of users, the acceptance of platforms and new inter-personal and community relationships. In the present paper a crosssectional quantitative research was conducted with non-random convenience sampling in order to determine the impact of the collaborative Airbnb platform among Romanian tourists, how wellknown it is and what elements motivate tourists to choose this platform. We also want to analyse the extent to which the benefits and innovations brought by this new phenomenon are in line with the needs and expectations of tourists and whether they are interested in this phenomenon, the extent to which tourists have chosen the Airbnb platform to stay in Romania or abroad.