Diversity in Peer-to-peer Accommodation Sharing in Thailand

Keywords: Sharing economy, P2P accommodation, Airbnb, Thailand
Session Type: Virtual Paper Abstract
Day: Saturday
Session Start / End Time: 2/26/2022 03:40 PM (Eastern Time (US & Canada)) - 2/26/2022 05:00 PM (Eastern Time (US & Canada))
Room: Virtual 69

Abstract

The sharing economy has recently shaped a new direction in economic activities. It is broadly defined as the value created from underutilized assets in a form of peer-to-peer (P2P) exchanges. With over 38 million foreign visitors in 2019, Thailand has been one of the world’s tourist destinations for its rich history and culture, culinary, tropic climate, and affordability. In 2019, there were over 99,000 accommodations listed on Airbnb in Thailand. Yet, little is known about the impacts of global sharing economy platforms for accommodations on the local economy and communities as well as on the localized legal challenges.
The objective of this study is to explore the P2P accommodation industry in Thailand to better understand its localized characteristics and implications on the housing industry. The analysis uses both listing and host information on Airbnb website. The data are drawn from many tourist destination cities in Thailand, including Bangkok, Pattaya, Chiang Mai, Phuket, Cha Am, and Hat Yai. Using diverse analytical methods, the results show that there are great variations in P2P accommodation characteristics and pricing. The profile of shared accommodation is influenced by locations of properties (city and district), amenities, site and situation features, exposure to international guests, and hosts’ “superhost” status. The results also suggest that P2P accommodation has become a new model for hospitality businesses in Thailand, rather than a pure sharing economy as the P2P accommodations first emerged, encompasses villas, condos, hostels, and hotels, and combinations thereof.