Factors determining the disruption from sharing economy : evidence from Airbnb in China

Abstract

Airbnb is one of the most successful sharing platforms, providing informal, long-term accommodations globally. China is considered the fastest growing market in the domestic and global tourism industry. This study aims to explore the relationship between sharing economy and the traditional hospitality in China by identifying factors affecting such relationship. Interviews with 84 tourism and hotel executives in China are conducted, and the data is analysed with NVivo 11. This study recognized three types of the relationship. In advance, it also identifies five factors that influence these relationships, namely, seasonality, target market, location, urbanization and type of hotel.