Abstract:

The sharing economy is growing rapidly in tourism sector influencing the growth of tourist traffic in attractive destinations. In literature the sharing economy is perceived as a sustainable alternative to the contemporary problem of hyper-consumption. Being consumer of tourist services purchased through sharing economy platforms could have a positive impact on changing tourism and making it more responsible one. The article's purpose is to examine why tourists choose accommodation and transport services via Airbnb, Couchsurfing, BlaBlaCar and other platforms. The authors ask whether the perception of the offers of Airbnb, BlaBlaCar, Couchsurfing, Uber and similar platforms as corresponding to the characteristics of responsible tourism is a significant driver determined choosing them as a way to meet tourist needs referring to accommodation and transport. The self-determination theory is applied for the analysis of Pole's motives for using such services when travelling. The results suggest that motivations related to responsible tourism significantly explain tourist choice toward accommodation and transport through sharing economy platforms.