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Copyright by Amy Gayle McCullough 2016 The Thesis Committee for Amy Gayle McCullough Certifies that this is the approved version of the following thesis: You Have Arrived: Geotourism and Experiencing Place via Airbnb APPROVED BY SUPERVISING COMMITTEE: Supervisor: __________________________________ Paul C. Adams __________________________________ Rebecca M. Torres __________________________________ Leo E. Zonn You Have Arrived: Geotourism and Experiencing Place via Airbnb by Amy Gayle McCullough, B.A. Thesis Presented to the Faculty of the Graduate School of The University of Texas at Austin in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts The University of Texas at Austin May 2016 Abstract You Have Arrived: Geotourism and Experiencing Place via Airbnb Amy Gayle McCullough, M.A. The University of Texas at Austin, 2016 Supervisor: Paul C. Adams It is evident that travelers want an “in.” Rick Steves takes readers and viewers “Through the Back Door,” while the Not For Tourists series of travel books caters to those looking beyond mass appeal. Airbnb, the leader in a lodging trend called “home-sharing,” builds off the premise of “insider travel” and “living like a local” by connecting a community of hosts and guests via on online network and a trusted brand. It has grown from an apartment with a few air mattresses in 2008 to a business that currently boasts more listings than Hilton Worldwide. Valued at over a billion dollars, Airbnb’s success can be attributed to many things: the power of online networking and community brand- building, the novelty of the “sharing economy,” the fact that Airbnb lodgings are often cheaper than hotel rooms. This paper seeks to determine if Airbnb’s appeal lies in its effect on people’s experiences of place. It also seeks to determine if Airbnb facilitates what the National Geographic Society terms “geotourism,” or “tourism that sustains or enhances the geographical character of a place.” Because staying at an Airbnb lodging, in most cases, puts travelers in a preexisting architectural structure within a residential neighborhood, in touch with (and profiting) a local host, and in a situation likely to be more environmentally friendly, an argument can be made that it is. At the same time, it is offering many travelers exactly what they’ve been looking for: an in. iv Table of Contents List of Figures ...................................................................................................... viii PART I: CONTEXT & APPROACH ...................................................................1 CHAPTER 1 – INTRODUCTION .......................................................................1 CHAPTER 2 – EVERYTHING IN ITS PLACE ................................................6 THE SHARING ECONOMY .........................................................................6 Life for sale ...................................................................................6 AIRBNB .........................................................................................................9 The newest thing ...........................................................................9 Power to the lodging people .......................................................15 Grow and tell...............................................................................17 TOURISM STUDIES ...................................................................................19 Tourism and shame .....................................................................19 Explorers and drifters ..................................................................26 What’s in a gaze? ........................................................................30 Saving place ................................................................................34 SENSE OF PLACE.......................................................................................39 From map to meaning .................................................................39 In, out, and absence of place .......................................................44 FLEETING GLIMPSES ...............................................................................49 Ephemeral experiences ...............................................................49 See your selfie on the road ..........................................................51 CHAPTER 3 – METHODOLOGY & PARTICIPANT DETAILS ................55 WHEN, WHAT, WHERE, HOW… .............................................................55 Good intentions ...........................................................................55 Revised reality ............................................................................57 On the use of photography ..........................................................59 v AND WHO?..................................................................................................62 Participants in detail ....................................................................62 PART II: RESULTS & ANALYSIS ...................................................................65 CHAPTER 4 – IMMERSE YOURSELF ...........................................................65 LIVING LIKE A LOCAL ............................................................................65 Belong anywhere ........................................................................67 Eating like a local........................................................................70 The charm of the ordinary...........................................................73 AFFORDABILITY .......................................................................................77 The price is right .........................................................................79 CHAPTER 5 – IN THE MIX ..............................................................................84 GREATER SPATIAL DISPERSION ..........................................................84 Beyond Gringolandia ..................................................................87 The street less traveled ................................................................93 Going in—and giving back .........................................................99 HOST INTERACTION ..............................................................................102 #OneLessStranger .....................................................................104 The people’s travel guide ..........................................................108 Person to person ........................................................................112 Buyer beware ............................................................................115 The downside of ordinary .........................................................116 On the review process ...............................................................117 Local livelihoods .......................................................................119 CHAPTER 6 – KEEPING IT REAL ...............................................................123 ARCHITECTURAL PRESERVATION ....................................................123 Building character .....................................................................125 Barcelona backlash ...................................................................133 Architecture in action ................................................................135 Hotels on Airbnb and “IKEA hotels” .......................................139 vi ENVIRONMENTAL RESPONSIBILTITY ..............................................142 Want not, waste not...................................................................145 The benefits of walking ............................................................147 CHAPTER 7 – A FEW CONSIDERATIONS.................................................150 Lodge at your own risk? ...........................................................150 Noise violations ........................................................................154 Breaking (and making) the law .................................................156 Usurping the locals ...................................................................158 Ambiguity equals absolution?...................................................160 CHAPTER 8 – CONCLUSION ........................................................................161 Appendix A - Airbnb Guest Questionnaire .........................................................167 Appendix B - Airbnb Host Questionnaire ...........................................................169 References ............................................................................................................172 vii List of Figures Figure 2.1 “On the Internet, everything is for hire.”. ..............................................7 Figure 2.2 Example of a Lyft driver profile ............................................................8 Figure 2.3 Pool at “Casa Favorita,” Mérida, Mexico............................................10 Figure 2.4 Kitchen at “Casa Favorita,” Mérida, Mexico ......................................10 Figure 2.5 Living area at “Casa Favorita,” Mérida, Mexico .................................10 Figure 2.6 Lobby and security guards at NH Calderon, Barcelona, Spain ...........12 Figure 2.7 Exterior of NH Calderon, Barcelona, Spain ........................................12 Figure 2.8 Interior of “Cozy Loft in center of Barcelona,” Spain ........................13 Figure 2.9 View from the balcony “Cozy Loft in center of Barcelona,” Spain ....13 Figure 2.10 Uber's