The transformative virtual experience paradigm: the case of Airbnb’s online experience

Abstract

Purpose This research paper aims to explore Airbnb’s online experience initiative, which has sparked a new wave of virtual tourism to improvise a large assortment of experiential activities through cyberspace. It works to answer questions pertinent to the type of virtual experiences tourists seek and how these experiences could fulfill tourist needs, thereby rendering favorable socio-mental outcomes through experiences encountered. Design/methodology/approach Drawing on travel experience and transformative tourism theoretical tenets, this qualitative inquiry used data collected from social media posts from virtual tourists. Findings Results reveal four major themes of online experiences – hedonism, attention restoration, social relatedness and self-exaltation – that encompass 12 experiential categories. They further underscore four types of transformative mechanisms pinpointing hedonic well-being, environmental-mastery well-being, social well-being and eudaimonic well-being. Research limitations/implications Research findings demonstrate how Airbnb exercised marketing agility during severe environmental plight; while expediting strategic initiatives that offer tourists and residents alike a means to reengage in leisure and travel activities at home. They also salvage the peer-to-peer community by turning accommodation hosts into online experience ambassadors. Originality/value The contribution of this inquiry lies in assessing virtual experiences and reconnecting how different cyber experiences can meet an array of tourist needs. This study further highlights the transformative virtual experience paradigm to lay the necessary theoretical foundation for future research on virtual transformative tourism. This research goes beyond the common understanding of transformative tourism that relies merely on corporeal encounters. From a practical point of view, this study brings light to a novel concept – sharing experience economy – that incorporates the nuances between sharing economy and experience economy.

Gaining resilience through transformative services in cause-related events: an interaction ritual chain perspective

“…Some researchers have deemed it as superficial (Zuev and Picard, 2015) and lack coverage of the theory in the findings, or it is conceptualized in a way that lacks empirics (Joo et al , 2020; Bargeman and Richards, 2020). Special events and other hospitality services, however, entail transformative potential to change peoples’ status quo (Soulard et al , 2021; Sterchele, 2020) and the ability to awaken their consciousness to a social agenda (Sheldon, 2020; Wong et al , 2023).…”

“…emotional energy, group solidarity, symbols of relationship and standards of morality). This research also adds to the transformative service literature by extending the transformative role of hospitality (Galeone and Sebastiani, 2021; Wong et al , 2023) to the self–community–society paradigm, which anchors on the micro–macro linkage among these social echelons. It, thus, sheds new light on the event literature by taking a leap forward in understanding the transformative role of special events (e.g.…”

“…This study strives to answer how people could be inspired toward an elevated level of group solidarity, emotional energy, morality and, thus, socio-mental resilience. Drawing on ritual chains theory (Collins, 2004) and transformative service (Sheldon, 2020;Galeone and Sebastiani, 2021;Wong et al, 2023), this inquiry seeks to improvise a mechanism based on the ritual chains logic leading from ritual ingredients to ritual outcomes and socio-mental resilience through collective effervescence, in the context of cause-related events based on both attendees' social media discourses and ethnographic observations. The term sociomental or socio-psychological resilience refers to the ability to move beyond fear and apprehension to a state in which people find a common ground of interests and emotional rewards that reconnect segregated individuals with emotional solidarity and fortitude to restore the social fabric, as the researchers define and further elaborate in the present study.…”

Guest editorial: The sharing economy in a post-pandemic world

“…Wong et al (2023) examined Airbnb’s online experience initiative, which offers virtual tourism activities. The authors adopted transformative tourism theory and identified four major themes in online experiences – hedonism, attention restoration, social relatedness and self-exaltation.…”

Metaverse in hospitality and tourism: a critical reflection

“…Their qualitative analysis of 24 restaurant managers and 29 customers underscores the importance of optimizing digitalization of services to enhance the uniqueness of the dining experience for an enhanced customer journey. Wong et al (2023a) studied Airbnb's online experience initiative of virtual tourism by considering the nature of virtual experiences sought by tourists and how their needs are met. Their study reported four themes to be of importance: hedonism, attention restoration, social relatedness and self-exaltation which are linked to well-being.…”