10 Airbnb catering to the multi-family travel market – before, during and after (10/9) -- Airbnb Before, During and After COVID-19

10 Airbnb catering to the multi-family travel market – before, during and after COVID-19 Samira Zare, Department of Tourism, UQ Business School, The University of Queensland, Australia Sara Dolnicar, Department of Tourism, UQ Business School, The University of Queensland, Australia Please cite as: Zare, S. and Dolnicar, S. (2021) Airbnb catering to the multi-family travel market – before, during and after COVID-19, in S. Dolnicar (Ed.) Airbnb before, during and after COVID-19, University of Queensland. DOI: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.14204555 Multi-family travel before COVID-19 When more than one family travels together, they engage in multi-family travel – irrespective of whether they are relatives or friends. Specific multi-family travel types that are attracted to peer-to-peer accommodation include multi-generational travel (Lago & Poffley, 1993; Kleeman, 2014), family reunion travel (Lago & Poffley, 1993; Yun & Lehto, 2009), and visiting friends and relatives (Jackson, 1990; Backer, 2010; Backer et al., 2017). Before COVID-19, multi-generational travel – multi-family travel including three or more generations of family members – was increasing in popularity (Kleeman, 2014). This trend is likely to be a consequence of people living longer, people having fewer children, and families not typically living in close proximity to grandparents anymore (Pederson, 1994; Schänzel & Yeoman, 2015). Grandparents also live longer and remain healthier and more mobile for longer. Combined, this leads to grandparents having both the desire and the ability to compensate for the lack of everyday interaction with children and grandchildren by spending vacations together (Lago & Poffley, 1993; Schänzel & Yeoman, 2015). An interesting – and arguably unique – feature of multi-generational travel is the central role of the creation of joint memories, possibly fuelled by the realisation that all family members will not be able to partake in these trips for much longer. The family photo plays a central role in the creation of memories that will outlast the actual holiday experience (Lago & Poffley, 1993). As a consequence of the increasing interest in multi-generational travel, family resorts have experienced increased demand from multiple families spending their vacation together (Brey & Lehto, 2008). The resorts have responded to this trend by adjusting their offerings to better meet the needs of this specific market segment (Brey & Lehto, 2008). Family reunion travel refers to multi-family units gathering at a destination to meet on a recurring basis (Yun & Lehto, 2009). The number of attendees at such reunions may be low, or it may be as high as 75-100 people. This market is distinctly different from normal multi-family holiday travel because reunion attendees act collectively toward the shared purpose of a reunion rather than pursuing the individual goals typically associated with holidays. Motivations for undertaking family reunion travel include strengt