New Trends in Shared Living Tourism - Report Example

New Trends in Shared Living Tourism Table of Contents Introduction 3 Worldwide Participation 4 Current/Future Trends 5 Advantages 6 Summary and Learning Experience 7 New Trends in Shared Living Tourism Introduction Changing trends in terms of sustainability and cultural awareness are disrupting the tourism industry. Clients are no longer looking just to focus on leisure and relaxation, but they expect aspects of participation, creation, and identity to be fulfilled during their holiday (Valva, 2014). Travelers on more than just sleeping and sightseeing as they desire to become a part of local community activities in order to immerse themselves in alternative cultures. However, accommodations normally do not provide an opportunity for travelers to have interactions with either people with whom they intend to engage or the local community. New trends in accommodations have the intention of connecting travelers to people, allowing them to immerse themselves into local culture, as well as contribute to the ecological and social sustainability challenges of modern travel. In an article that discusses these changes in travel dynamics, Valva (2014) suggests that shared living is one way in which to service new trends in tourism accommodations. There are a number of different ways in which to create a shared living situation. There are local communities that open up their homes as a way of sharing accommodations for travelers. Also, visiting family and relatives, or VFR, is another method of sharing accommodations which contributes to sustainability challenges in the tourism industry (Backer, 2008). Shared living networks such as Empathy Networks or Start-up Abroad provide tourists with living space as well as professionals with accommodations where similar interests are shared. Through partnerships with these types of networks, sustainability is approached as well as immersion into local communities. The concept of shared living is one that appeals both to average tourists who are looking for a more culturally based experience as well as professional travelers who are looking for business related motivation and inspiration. Worldwide Participation One of the advantages of using shared living arrangement is that it can be accomplished in almost any place throughout the world. The purposes for using shared living arrangements can be widely varied. Everything from professional collaboration opportunities to cultural immersion can be a reason for using shared accommodation. Often tourists are able to choose specific destinations in relationship to local celebrations and festivals where local inhabitants open up their homes in order to provide an at home atmosphere. Valva (2014) discusses how this is an opportunity to forgo the concept of glamour and superficial exteriors in order to be a part of the day-to-day cultural experience of the community. Every tourist goes to see the Taj Mahal or the Eiffel Tower when visiting India or France, but through staying with local inhabitants they are able to immerse themselves in local food traditions as well as experience conversations and interactions in terms of cultural beliefs and traditions. An example of an organization that provides this type of service Start-up Abroad provides professional experiences for entrepreneurs who want to have the opportunity for interactions with others who have the same types of goals and aspirations. The last offering was in Antalya, Turkey, which is on the Mediterranean coast of the South West region. For between one and six weeks, participants could connect to entrepreneurs from all over the world and become motivated through additional immersion into the Turkish culture. Collaboration and skill sharing was intended to provide a means for which participants could increase their own potential through the creation of a ‘human incubator’ (Startup Abroad, 2014). This example shows that shared circumstances provide for more than just a tourist experience. In this case, professionals have the opportunity to collaborate together in an alternative environment where the potential for new ideas can come from both local immersion and intimate contact with other entrepreneurs.. Current/Future Trends Trends in tourism include concerns for the environment, eco-impact, and in having an authentic experience. The problem of environmental impact in terms of tourism has begun to become a more important factor when designing tourist experiences. As an example, Hotel Landgut Borsig which is situated about 40 km from Berlin allows for a luxury experience while a lowered impact on the environment through self-produced energy. In addition, through purchasing the forest that surrounds the hotel, they have a collection of trees that make them CO2 – neutral. The importance of eco-impact is reflected in the development of hotels that can claim high levels of sustainability (Braw, 2013). The development of these kinds of hotels where luxury needs meet environmental responsibility is based on the perception by tourists of the importance of having a lowered impact on the environment. The emergence of the shared accommodations concept as an approach for sustainability is based on the idea of keeping the impact on the environment at a minimum. In addition, a more authentic experience can be achieved through connecting with people who are local to the region of travel. It is very different experience to eat at a family dinner with a collective of local inhabitants than going to a local restaurant. There are a number of different concrete reasons for traveling with the use of shared living experiences. Volunteerism tourism has been conducted through the use of shared living experiences in order to lower the costs that must be invested by the volunteer. This type of travel provides the tourist with both the opportunity to assist a local community as well as immerse themselves in that community’s experiences. Travel for the purposes of exploring spiritual experiences also benefits from the hosting dynamics. McIntosh (2010) writes that the hosting experience can also be challenging because sometimes different religious beliefs can create conflict within the experience. The purpose of religious travel is often based on visiting religious sites or coming together with others who have similar beliefs and sharing ideas and worship. However, on occasion the intention is to experience new religious reality and develop discourse in terms of different beliefs. Shared accommodations provide an opportunity to either share common beliefs or learn about diverse beliefs through intimate interaction. Personal relationships are part of many of the ways in which tourists connect to the local community where they are experiencing their travel. Hosting is the process through which families, friends, or organizations provide accommodations for a traveler. There are many reasons for this type of hosting, which include but are not limited to the travel of expatriate retirees or university students who are taking in an international education experience. Hosting provides for an opportunity to live within the community inside the home of the community member. These experiences can vary depending on whether or not it is a temporary situation or the hosting becomes more long-term. Griffin (2013) writes that hosting provides a number of benefits to the community, which includes a higher use of local businesses as well as less economic leakage. Although there is an economic impact on local tourism accommodations, the impact on the local economy appears to be positive in relationship to hosting dynamics. Advantages There are a number of good reasons for using shared accommodations during travel. Professional development can be achieved in an immersed environment through being able to collaborate with others who share similar hopes for the future. Volunteerism and religious travel are supported through the ability to both save on the cost of accommodations as well as experience local communities more intimately values would occur if staying in a traditional accommodation. However, the goal of sustainability has a tremendous opportunity to be fulfilled when using shared accommodations. When using shared accommodations, a traveler is lowering their impact on the environment while increasing their impact on the local economy. This relationship between the traveler and the community becomes more intimate because they are immersed in an authentic environment, but the research has shown that the travel will not only have a better environmental footprint in terms of their travel, but they will be more likely to use local resources rather than larger, less economically satisfying resources (Griffin, 2013). The development of shared and hosted accommodation experiences should be further explored by entrepreneurs who could develop programs that support this type of travel experience. This would also contribute to issues of security and comfort where people from different cultures come together in order to share this experience. Summary and Learning Experience The opportunity for travelers to immerse themselves into a local culture has a great appeal. Exploring the different ways in which shared accommodations can be achieved has shown that the potential is practically unlimited. Travelers for pleasure as well as for purpose can have a more richly diverse experience when using the shared accommodations dynamic. Through creating interpersonal relationships with hosts, the traveler has the opportunity to have very different experience than they would if they stayed at a local hotel. While hotels are picking up on the need for sustainability options, the shared experience offers something more to traveler in terms of local experience. As shared accommodations increase local spending, the advantages to both the economy and the environment are clear. Reference Backer, E. (8 April 2008). VFR travelers - visiting the destination or visiting the hosts? Asian Journal of Tourism and Hospitality Research 2(1), 60-70. Braw, E. (22 July 2013). Sustainable tourism: the rise of the eco-boutique hotels. The Guardian. Retrieved from http://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/blog/sustainable- tourism-eco-boutique-hotels Griffin, T. (16 January 2013). A paradigmatic discussion for the study of immigrant hosts. Current Issues in Tourism. 17(6), 487-498. McIntosh, A. J. (2010). Situating the self in religious tourism research: an authors reflexive perspective. Preliminary Communication. 58(3), 213-227. Start-up Abroad (2014). Retrieved from http://www.startupabroad.org/ Valva, P. (2014). Shared living and sustainability: emerging trends in the tourism industry. Alma Tourism: Journal of Tourism, Culture and Territorial Development. 3 1-18. Read More