Backpacking practices in the sharing economy era. An exploratory study of a changing urban scenario

The paper intends to investigate the impact that the rise of the sharing economy is having in the shaping of the tourist experience (Ali and Frew, 2014), with a specific focus on the potential consequences in the habit and practices of “backpacker”, a specific category of tourist that literature has described as particularly interested in autonomously seek tailored and made-to-measure tours and travels that minimize the traditional problems associated to mass-tourism (social, economic and environmental impacts) (Buhalis and Law, 2008). From a theoretical point of view the paper analyses both the impact of the sharing economy in the tourist sector and the backpacking phenomenon, investigating their links and possible interactions. This analysis shows how, potentially, sharing platform could provide the ideal tool to realize the unique, authentic experience that is usually sought by backpackers. From the empirical side it proposes a first attempt to outline the elements of greater interest of tourist sharing practices and how they can relate to the elements that characterized backpacking practices until now, using an online questionnaire. The data collected provide a description of the interviewed travel’s motivations, their use of peer-to-peer platforms and the factors impacting the satisfaction in the experience. The pull of economic reasons appears as especially relevant between respondents and is not always associated with specific attention to more social motivations of the travellers. The paper represents an attempt to observe how the spreading of peer-to-peer platforms, and the increased facility to backpacking practices could shape the profile of the backpacker. Overall the paper brings contributions to practitioners, urban planners and tourism governance coordinators, providing useful insights that could favour the debate with representatives of the sharing economy about the impact of these activities in the urban areas. Sharing economy gains popularity day by day and new segments of tourism, such as backpackers, are being attracted. Therefore, it is relevant to introduce this discussion within the society.