Peer-to-Peer Dining: A Motivation Study

Abstract

This study examined tourist motivations to determine whether peer-to-peer dining is a new, pursuable tourism product. A two-stage analysis of semistructured interview data from 28 individuals yielded three push dimensions (i.e., seeking variety, gaining authentic experience, and enhancing social circle) and six pull dimensions (i.e., food items, atmosphere, relationship with the host, value, service quality, and type of food), which were linked by word-of-mouth and publicity for peer-to-peer dining. Several motivational differences identified between participation in the sharing economy and in conventional dining have suggested that peer-to-peer dining reflects a novel product in food tourism. Interestingly, findings also suggested that tourists perceive local and overseas peer-to-peer dining services differently. This research contributes to the existing literature on the sharing economy and bears practical implications for food destination development and branding.