Välkomna hem till oss : En studie om lokalisering av korttidsboenden på delningsplattformar och värdars motiv till att hyra ut sin bostad

In recent years consumption patterns have drastically changed. With the development of the internet and technological innovations, there has been a growth of online networks where people can share goods and services between themselves. These peer-to-peer platforms have made it possible for private individuals to offer their accommodation to tourists in an easy way. Previous studies regarding short term-accommodations are mostly focused on the impacts of the sector in large cities. That is why this study aims to deepen the knowledge of the short-term accommodation sector in four municipalities in the High Coast region, that is an attractive rural tourism destination. The study is conducted with a mixed method approach and the purpose of this paper is: (1) to gain deeper understanding of the sector by comparing it to traditional accommodations such as hotels and hostels; and (2) to understand what motivates hosts to list their accommodation on sharing platforms and how they view their role as microentrepreneurs. The thesis has gathered data from the available sharing platforms, in order to map the localization of the accommodations and their capacity. Qualitative interviews were used to find out host motivations and their perceived role. Through the analysis seven sharing platforms were identified and Airbnb is the platform that offers the most accommodation and has the highest capacity compared to the other platforms. The study also found that short-term accommodations and traditional accommodations follow similar localization patterns. By analyzing the interviews with the hosts some motivational aspects were identified which can be classified as mainly economic and social aspects. The economic aspects had dual origin: people who needed the income to support their everyday finances and people who just wished to do something fun with the money earned. The roles the hosts took varied more significantly. Some of them identify simply as entrepreneurs whilst others feel like ambassadors for the region because they actively provide visitors with information about places and activities. Rural areas are characterized by economic restructuring and a reduced population. The short-term accommodation sector may create opportunities for the region to increase tourism and thus create potential for economic growth.