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From information-sharing to vacation rental choices – the case of Albufeira, Portugal

Joana Afonso Dias (Junior Lecturer in the Department of Management and Marketing, INUAF – Instituto Superior Afonso III, Localidade, Portugal)
Antónia Correia (Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Economy, University of the Algarve, Algarve, Portugal)
Francisco José Martínez López (Full Professor at Financial and Managerial Information Systems, University of Huelva, Huelva, Spain)

International Journal of Culture, Tourism and Hospitality Research

ISSN: 1750-6182

Article publication date: 25 February 2014

512

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to examine, via social exchange theory and social representations, how online vacation rentals (OVR) connect tourists and owners. It also aims to understand the dynamics and representations between owners and tourists in Albufeira, one of the most popular counties in the south of Portugal, supported on the theories of representation and social exchange. More specifically this research is structured on the following question: how the consequents – engagement and personalization – are materialized in the testimonies and descriptions posted on the vacation rentals platform.

Design/methodology/approach

The initial assumption for this exploratory study is that OVR bring both material and intangible advantages for the individual consumer and for the community of homeowners. Drawing from netnography, using textual analysis, including the use of a corpus linguistics software program (WordSmith v.6), the authors aim to capture the multidimensional meanings presented by the tourists' online reviews of their travelling experience and home rental.

Findings

The findings suggest that sharing the same nationality can facilitate engagement and influence the decision-making process (selection of property). Furthermore, findings point to a sense of place construed through affordances of place, home and a functional sense of place. Personalization of services is perceived by tourists as a positive outcome, this being the result of a positive evaluation that properties have received.

Originality/value

The innovative design of this research, combining textual analysis and netnography of data reviews, and the analysis of this new form of tourism are the main contributions of this paper.

Keywords

Acknowledgements

Received 29 July 2013 Revised 12 January 2014 Accepted 20 January 2014

Citation

Afonso Dias, J., Correia, A. and José Martínez López, F. (2014), "From information-sharing to vacation rental choices – the case of Albufeira, Portugal", International Journal of Culture, Tourism and Hospitality Research, Vol. 8 No. 1, pp. 35-47. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJCTHR-07-2013-0049

Publisher

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Emerald Group Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2014, Emerald Group Publishing Limited

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