Understand, rethink and adapt – a UNWTO Report on New Platform Tourism Services was presented at the UNWTO General Assembly in Chengdu, China. New platform services, or the so-called sharing economy, remain one of the game changers for the tourism sector. The topic was discussed at the UNWTO General Assembly’s special session on smart tourism, where UNWTO presented its latest report ‘New Platform Tourism Services (or the so-called Sharing Economy) – Understand, rethink and adapt’. The report recommends ‘to find creative solutions to safeguard consumer rights and quality standards while ensuring fair competition for all businesses.’

While tourism continues to grow strongly, a shift in business models and consumer behavior has been noticeable over the last years. The combination of the global economic crisis, advances in technology and the emergence of digital platforms has resulted in the rise of new platform tourism services, often referred to as the sharing economy.

The report aims at providing useful insight on the new platform tourism services and at contributing to the ongoing discussion and collaboration around them among stakeholders. The publication looks into new platform tourism services across destinations worldwide in five main areas – information, accommodation, transport, food and ‘things to do’ or tourism activities. The study aims to gain a better understanding of how this phenomenon is shaping the tourism sector, to identify the specific opportunities and challenges it poses, and to assess possible actions moving forward.

Findings and recommendations

The report is based on a survey, among UNWTO Member States, Affiliate Members and a selection of 250 destinations, on the importance and impact of the new tourism services. A total of 114 responses were received from organizations across all world regions and three key conclusions emerged:

1. New platform tourism services are important and are expected to continue growing in importance in the coming decade. Of the five areas identified in new platform tourism services (information, accommodation, transport, food and other tourism activities), information and accommodation appear to be the most relevant today, followed by transport services. Food and other tourism activities remain somewhat behind in terms of current importance.

2. The positive impact of new platform tourism services outweighs their negative effects according to the participants of the survey.

3. Opportunities generated should not distract from the pressing need to address the economic, social or environmental challenges created by the new platform tourism services. Doing so requires a comprehensive approach encompassing four key governance areas: (i) planning and sustainability; (ii) fair competition; (iii) consumer protection; and (iv) labor conditions.

As stated by UNWTO Secretary-General Taleb Rifai in the introduction of the report, “we have identified three main directions in the way forward: understanding and monitoring the new platform tourism services, rethinking regulation and addressing the interests of all stakeholders involved – tourists, workers, providers, platforms, competitors, and local communities – and, finally, adapting to the market challenges based on a ‘4C’ approach – communication, collaboration, cooperation and coordination.”