Tourist identity and collaborative consumption

an analysis based on the discourse perceived by consumers on the Airbnb platform

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.7784/rbtur.v15i2.1993

Keywords:

Identity, Collaborative Consumption, Tourism, Anti-tourist discourse.

Abstract

Through digital platforms, collaborative consumption allows access to various products and services, taking on an essential role in the construction of identities. By expanding the participation of individuals in the choices of their travels and allowing direct contact between users, this form of consumption has managed to attract people searching for alternatives within the tourism market, and has given space for the anti-tourist discourse, aimed at consumers looking to distance themselves from traditional tourism, usually in mass. Understanding that consumers act in the propagation of discourses and images about a service or destination, as well as in the construction of their consumer identity, this study sought to understand how Airbnb users interpret the messages presented by the platform and relate them to their tourist (traditional) or traveler (anti-tourist) identity. The results of this study, of qualitative nature, obtained from the analysis of the data generated by semi-structured interviews, indicate that the interviewees identify themselves more with the proposal of the services offered by the platform than with the idea of being a tourist or a traveler. With similar interests, users reveal that they have consumption characteristics common to both consumer profiles, varying according to the type of trip that each one takes.

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Author Biographies

Luana Alexandre Silva, Federal University of Pernambuco (UFPE), Recife, PE, Brazil.

She is a PhD candidate in Management from the Postgraduate Program in Management/PROPAD at the Federal University of Pernambuco (UFPE), Brazil. She has a Master’s degree in Management from the Postgraduate Program in Management/PROPAD at the Federal University of Pernambuco (UFPE), Brazil and a Bachelor’s degree in Tourism from the Federal University of Pernambuco (UFPE).

Maria de Lourdes de Azevedo Barbosa, Federal University of Pernambuco (UFPE), Pernambuco, Recife, Brazil.

She holds a Doctorate and Master’s degree in Management from the Postgraduate Program in Management/PROPAD at the Federal University of Pernambuco (UFPE), Specialization in Hotel Administration from the Federal University of Juiz de Fora (UFJF), Bachelor in Tourism from the Federal University of Pará (UFPA), Brazil. She is an Associate Professor II of the Hospitality and Tourism Department and of the Postgraduate Program in Hospitality and Tourism at the Federal University of Pernambuco (UFPE), Brazil

Miriam Leite Farias, Federal University of Pernambuco (UFPE), Pernambuco, Recife, Brazil.

She is a PhD candidate in Management from the Postgraduate Program in Management/PROPAD at the Federal University of Pernambuco (UFPE). She has a Master’s degree in Management from the Postgraduate Program in Management/PROPAD at the Federal University of Pernambuco (UFPE) and a Bachelor in Management from the Federal University of Paraíba (UFPB), Brazil.

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Published

2021-03-15

How to Cite

Silva, L. A., Barbosa, M. de L. de A., & Farias, M. L. (2021). Tourist identity and collaborative consumption: an analysis based on the discourse perceived by consumers on the Airbnb platform. Revista Brasileira De Pesquisa Em Turismo, 15(2), 1993. https://doi.org/10.7784/rbtur.v15i2.1993

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Vol. 15 No. 2 (2021): maio/agosto

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