Emerging hospitality practices in the sharing economy

Abstract

Tourism and hospitality – as social practices and discourses – are increasingly digitally mediated. Many resources at destinations, such as accommodation and local knowledge, are becoming shareable via digital platforms. Technology mediates everyday encounters and offers new practices for hosting and guesting. This study explores hospitality practices developed on Airbnb in the geographical context of Finnish Lapland. The data for this study were collected from Airbnb hosts and guests. The hospitality practices emerging from the data are analysed using the social practice model. The practice theory-informed framework developed in the study illustrates how digital platforms increase the elasticity of hospitality practices. Hence, the digital hospitality practices emerging from the data show how the specialist knowledge and hospitality resources of the local people are being used for the benefit of the hosts, guests, the platform and destinations when constructing a hospitable and sustainable destination experience.