Sharing Economy: Challenges and Opportunities in Tourism

In the last decades, our society and the economy have undergone great changes that led to the emergence of new economic models. These models emerged in the developed countries. Subsequently, the informational revolution has expanded across the globe, and contributed to the development of these new models. The sharing economy is one of them. Through technology and the internet, tools that provide instant access to information from anywhere in the world, the collaborative economy expands and grows continuously. This allows for easier interaction between people of all categories. The aim of this paper is to highlight the challenges, opportunities and benefits brought by the sharing economy regarding the national and international tourism, as well as to find out to what extent is the availability, accessibility, consumer and stakeholders’ degree of acceptance towards the current technological infrastructure. The paper contains the analysis of a study case regarding the Airbnb business model, company that has been involved in the economic transition of the last years and contributed to the emergence of the sharing economy. As well, the article contains a study of collected data with regards to the distributed spaces on the company’s site from 5 Romanian cities, and 5 European cities, in a certain period, statistical data regarding the online bookings made in member countries of the European Union, and data about the accommodation units in Romania, the number of overnight stays and arrivals. This research is useful for all individuals or legal entities involved in the tourism field in order to acknowledge in what way and to what extent the accommodation units in Romania are evaluated and rated. Moreover, the possible options for touristic improvement and development through the sharing economy, in terms of quality, technological infrastructure and approach are evaluated. We consider that it is important how the sharing economy impacts and influences Romania to a lesser extent, and what repercussions or changes will occur in the future

THE IMPACT OF DIGITAL EDUCATION TOWARDS A SUSTAINABLE DIGITAL CONSUMER IN THE ERA OF CIRCULAR ECONOMY

A more sustainable economy and society presume more sustainable behavior in terms of consumption. A change in this behavior could be brought by a change in demand. In other words, a change in the demand could be facilitated by one’s financial and digital education. The circular economy implies the reuse and recycling of products and materials over and over again; thus, the life cycle of products and materials is extended. Engaging in recycling should have future benefits. Recycling behavior and sustainability are interrelated, the recycling process is viewed as a key issue in sustainability and prevails as pro-environmental consumer behavior. It is already known that significant changes in individual behavior are essential for society to move toward sustainability. This paper aims to explore from a quantitative perspective if digital education has an impact on consumer behavior in terms of sustainability in the era of the circular economy. This research is useful for all providers, consumers, and stakeholders involved in different businesse

THE IMPACT OF DIGITAL EDUCATION TOWARDS A SUSTAINABLE DIGITAL CONSUMER IN THE ERA OF CIRCULAR ECONOMY

A more sustainable economy and society presume more sustainable behavior in terms of consumption. A change in this behavior could be brought by a change in demand. In other words, a change in the demand could be facilitated by one’s financial and digital education. The circular economy implies the reuse and recycling of products and materials over and over again; thus, the life cycle of products and materials is extended. Engaging in recycling should have future benefits. Recycling behavior and sustainability are interrelated, the recycling process is viewed as a key issue in sustainability and prevails as pro-environmental consumer behavior. It is already known that significant changes in individual behavior are essential for society to move toward sustainability. This paper aims to explore from a quantitative perspective if digital education has an impact on consumer behavior in terms of sustainability in the era of the circular economy. This research is useful for all providers, consumers, and stakeholders involved in different businesse

Differences in travelers\u27 perceptions of popular tourist destinations estimated by a LSTM neural network: A comparison between the UK and Germany

This study examines the differences and similarities in the perceptions of popular tourist destinations between the English and German media in an empirical and quantitative way. The perception of a tourist destination country is measured by the sentiment in the media in the tourists\u27 countries of origin—either the UK or Germany. The study measures such perceptions with the help of a Long Short Term Memory (LSTM) artificial neural network that analyzes the perceptions in publicly available news streams in the UK and Germany. The results show that the online media indeed generates different perceptions for some of the popular travel destinations. An equally interesting finding is that there is, in general, a broad consensus between the sentiments in the British and German media. Businesses in the tourism and hospitality sectors, news providers, political actors, and policymakers can use the methodology to analyze the source of this information gap and the impact on their operations and policies

The Impact of COVID-19 on Online Consumer Behavior for Sports Equipment: A Trend Analysis

This article proposes to examines how internet shopping for sports equipment changed during and after the COVID-19 outbreak in the UK. The goal of the study is to comprehend how the pandemic affected consumer behavior in relation to purchasing of sporting goods. Using Google search data for phrases related to sporting goods, the study looks for patterns and changes in customer interest over time. According to our findings, there were considerable shifts in the sports equipment search trends both during and after the epidemic, with a noticeable rise in searches for terms like home gym, fitness equipment, and fitness app, among others. According to the analysis, pandemic-related lockdowns and gym closures were the main causes of the rise in sports gear and fitness-related searches. The survey sheds light on how customers shop online, emphasizing the significance of the home gym trend as a reaction to the closing of conventional gyms and the demand for at-home fitness options. By offering insights into the changing customer behavior during a pandemic, this study adds novelty to the field of sports equipment sales. In their quest to comprehend shifts in customer behavior and modify their strategies in light of such shifts, marketers, corporations, and legislators may find the findings to have major practical ramifications. The research also gives prospects for future studies, such as the comparison of the results with other regions or the discovery of specific elements that influence consumer behavior in this setting

German Students’ Perception of Bioeconomy – An Exploratory Study

In the present society, the concept of bioeconomy emerged due to the need for a sustainable and responsible change regarding the impact mitigation of several factors on the environment. The rising consumption and the resulting emission of pollutants are interconnected with both economic and population growth. Therefore, measures must be taken using new technologies and solutions, improvement of production methods and the necessary transformation of society through education. Several universities have aligned with the demands and needs of the present and future society regarding sustainability, called ‘transformative universities’. A high-quality education system is a prerequisite to sustainable and transformational efforts as well as transparent, participative processes and a close dialogue and cooperation between science, economy, politics and civil society. The purpose of this research is to bring more awareness, receptivity and responsiveness to the problems of society with a focus on bioeconomy. Therefore, this article is divided into three sections. The first part comprises a summary of bioeconomy related to education and the role of higher education institutions in societal transformation processes. The second part contains the quantitative and qualitative analysis and evaluation of the results of an explorative online survey about the perception of bioeconomy and sustainability of students exemplified by students from two German universities. The third part concludes the article with a summary of findings and prospects for further researches in this area. This research is useful especially for public and educational institutions, organisations that have a direct or indirect impact on the environment, and other stakeholders interested in environmental conservation

Decision-Making Process Regarding the Use of Mobile Phones in Romania Taking into Consideration Sustainability and Circular Economy

Nowadays, the use of smartphones has become essential for daily activities that have either a personal or professional purpose. A large number of resources is necessary for both the production and the use of these devices, which means that solutions in terms of sustainability are needed. The purpose of this research is to highlight the concept of sustainability when talking about smartphones, as well to underline the possibilities that exist for the consumers. This study examines the habits of young consumers in Romania, the reasons behind a mobile phone replacement, and the factors that influence the purchase decision. The methodology section follows quantitative and qualitative market research. An analysis was performed in order to have a deep understanding of trends in terms of mobile phone ownership and preferred brands. This study also provides a general view on the neglectfulness of the young population of Romania regarding the dangers to which the environment is exposed because of the purchasing habits that go against sustainability. For accomplishing this purpose, important results have been discovered through the analysis of the data obtained from self-administered questionnaires and interviews. The results show that people are usually using only one mobile phone at a time and they change it once every two years for sustainability and financial reasons. The same applies when it comes to choosing a certain brand. The reasons behind the purchase of a new phone and the decisions regarding an old one are based on healthy principles of the circular economy and sustainability. The preferences in terms of technology and design, and the decision process are correlated with incomes