Digital platforms and tourism in EU

Digitalne platforme nastale su razvojem Interneta i tehnologije, a funkcioniraju kao posrednik između prodavača proizvoda, tj. pružatelja usluga, i kupaca. Karakteristike digitalnih platformi su postojanje efekta mreže (njihova vrijednost je veća što ih više ljudi koristi), mogućnost kreiranja i oblikovanja novih tržišta, kao i novih oblika poslovanja, smanjenje troškova distribucije, brže transakcije i lagan pristup velikim količinama informacija. Danas su dostupne u gotovo svim zemljama svijeta, a jedini uvjet za njihovo korištenje je pristup Internetu i posjedovanje digitalnog uređaja. Prema vrsti se mogu podijeliti na transakcijske, inovacijske, investicijske i integrirane, odnosno na online tržišta, trgovine aplikacija, društvene medije, online platforme za oglašavanje i programe za pretraživanje. Digitalne platforme unijele su promjene u svakodnevni život ljudi, ali i u poslovne procese unutar EU. Promjene u ponašanju potrošača i poslovanju rezultirale su različitim učincima i za europski turizam. Potrošači sve više pribjegavaju platformama za vršenje rezervacija i kupovinu različitih turističkih dobara. Također su više informirani o cijenama i kvaliteti proizvoda i usluga zahvaljujući informacijama koje platforme nude, kao i recenzijama korisnika. Unutar Europe značajno raste broj noćenja u smještaju za kratkotrajni najam koji je rezerviran putem neke od većih platformi, što je rezultiralo bržim oporavkom europskog turizma ugroženog COVID-19 pandemijom. Kao posljedica povećanog izbora smještaja i sadržaja koji se nudi putem digitalnih platformi, sve više raste potražnja za ruralnim područjima i alternativnim smještajem, dok potražnja za hotelima s nediferenciranom ponudom pada. Na turističkom tržištu EU raste udio kratkotrajnog smještaja, a sve više europskih stanovnika uključuje se u turističke tokove na strani ponude kao iznajmljivači istoga. Za neke je ovakva vrsta poslovanja previše zahtjevna, zbog čega plaćaju drugim poduzećima da upravljaju smještajem umjesto njih. Zbog toga na europskom tržištu raste broj poduzeća za upravljanje kratkotrajnim smještajem. Kao posljedica digitalizacije pojavljuju se i online turističke agencije koje svoje usluge nude kupcima putem Interneta; postaju zamjena za tradicionalne, čije poslovanje s vremenom slabi. Također generiraju značajan udio europskog BDP-a, kao i radna mjesta. Očekuje se da će broj korisnika platformi još više rasti u budućnosti, a zajedno s tim i utjecaj platformi na europski turizam.Digital platforms emerged from the development of the Internet and technology. They function as an intermediary between product sellers, i.e. service providers, and customers. The characteristics of digital platforms are the existence of a network effect (their value is greater the more people use them), the possibility of creating and shaping new markets, as well as new forms of business, reduction of distribution costs, faster transactions and easy access to large amounts of information. Today, they are available in almost all countries of the world, and only condition for their use is access to the Internet and possession of a digital device. By type, digital platforms can be divided into transactional, innovation, investment and integrated platforms. They can also be divided into online markets, application stores, social media, online advertising platforms and search programs. Digital platforms have brought changes in people's daily lives and business processes within the EU. Changes in consumer behavior and business have resulted in different effects for European tourism as well. Consumers are increasingly resorting to platforms for making reservations and purchasing various tourist goods. They are also more informed about the prices and quality of products and services thanks to the information that the platforms offer, as well as user reviews.Within Europe, the number of overnight stays in short-term rental accommodation booked through one of the major platforms is growing significantly, which has resulted in a faster recovery of European tourism threatened by the COVID-19 pandemic. As a consequence of the increased choice of accommodation and content offered through digital platforms, the demand for rural areas and alternative accommodation is increasing, while the demand for hotels with an undifferentiated offer is decreasing.The share of short-stay accommodation in European tourism market is growing. More and more European residents are starting to rent their own properties and generate income through this way. For some of them, this type of business is too demanding, which is why they pay other companies to manage their business for them. As a result of this trend, the number of short-stay accommodation management companies is growing on the European market. Online travel agencies are also starting to grow. They offer services to customers via Internet, and therefore are starting to replace the traditional travel agencies, whose business weakens over time. They also generate a significant share of Europe's GDP, as well as number of jobs. It is expected that the number of platform users will grow even more in the future, as well as the influence of platforms on European tourism