The Emergence of Sharing Economy: Determinants of Сonsumer Сhoice in Tourism

The growth of sharing economy has led to the emergence of new players in tourism house searching. The purpose of this paper is to determine the space of consumer choice in tourism, to find out the place of Couchsurfing in it. Also, this paper will identify determinants that influence consumer choice. It was revealed that most consumer consider two alternatives and hotels are still popular. Determinants of consumer choice in tourism appeared to be: company, duration, frequency, transport, budget, type and country of the trip. Also it was found out that Couchsurfing ranks 2/3 in the space of consumer choice and its competitors are airbnb and hostels. Determinants, which influence consumers to use couchsurfing are: trust, risk aversion, involvement in sharing economy, comfort, acquaintance use, meeting attendance. In addition, criteria of choosing host and surf were also named. The most popular were reviews, photo, completed profile. In conclusion, recommendations to attract more users in Couchsurfing were given.