Experience tourism: the case of CouchSurfing

Abstract

The objective of this thesis was to examine the thoughts and prejudices CouchSurfing evoke in people who had not previously heard of CouchSurfing. Additionally, the views expressed by people who had previously heard about the phenomenon were also studied. The aim was also to determine how these prejudices affected the behavior of people. The purpose was to understand different aspects and give a more comprehensive picture of CouchSurfing through this thesis. The theoretical framework of the thesis was mainly based on the official CouchSurfing web pages but also various others Internet pages, as well as articles and literature on the topic. The study was conducted by means of a questionnaire sent by e-mail, i.e. distributed to people via Facebook, people from Greece and CouchSurfing members from other countries. The research methodology employed was quantitative. The questionnaire results were collected during the period of 01.03-10.03.2019. Altogether there were 85 answers; 50 from the people who heard about CouchSurfing for the first time and 32 from individuals who were aware of it or already members. The results indicated that the prejudices some people had beforehand changed even considerably however, of course there were also people who maintained their opinion. Mainly the biggest doubt concerned safety issues and trusting people. However, once people got to know the social network better they realized that there are several safety measures taken. Naturally, using common sense was also required. Various people were not aware of CouchSurfing beforehand, but the questionnaire seemed to evoke the curiosity and interest of some participants. In conclusion, the research questions set in the beginning were answered. There most likely will be more interest towards the project in the future. The most useful approach could be sharing personal experiences with people who showed interest towards CouchSurfing. By combining the information from the web site with shared experiences the knowledge would become more comprehensive.