Chapter 9: A Systematic Review of Empirical Research on the Economic Impact of Peer-to-Peer Short-term Rental Accommodation on Tourist Destinations

The benefits of peer-to-peer (P2P) accommodation are evident in the way they enable individuals to monetize their unused spaces, create entrepreneurship opportunities on services for hosts, and generate new jobs as tourism increases. Entrepreneurship in tourism destinations drives economic growth by creating innovative services, generating employment opportunities (Arora & Dhiman, 2024), and enhancing the overall visitor experience, which, in turn, boosts local revenue and supports sustainable regional development (Arora et al., 2023). This is considered a sustainable business model that enhances the democratization of tourism by increasing the variety and availability of accommodations while also lowering hotel prices, ultimately benefiting the end user (Farmaki & Miguel, 2022). At the same time, several studies indicate that P2P accommodation platforms can pose several challenges, including their role in contributing to gentrification in urban areas and taking over market share from the hospitality industry. This chapter reviews the rapidly growing empirical literature on the effects of P2PSTRs on tourist destinations with the aim of assessing the sustainability of current practices.