The tourist experience and shared hosting through the use of New Technologies in tourism: the Airbnb case

Abstract

Technological incorporation into the tourism sector generates changes on tourist’s experience and tourist’s relation with the sector, including new ways of enjoying the trip. Shared hosting is a modality with growing results when applying to the new technologies allowing greater degree of information to the tourist and trip’s autonomy. This study aims to discuss the concepts of tourist experience and shared hosting through the case of Airbnb, a virtual community for place’s rental. With a qualitative approach, the discussion was based on the bibliographic survey and secondary sources use’s. By the netnography, 340 statements from Airbnb users were analyzed, using the shared hosting modality of the application in Natal destination, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil. It has been concluded that the experience of shared hosting is characterized by the ’feeling at home‘ approach, the conviviality with the host allowed different experiences to the group studied. In addition, new technologies are associated with these experiences by a closer communication between travelers and autochthonous, whether in the supply or acquisition of a tourism product or service.