Tourism usage of digital collaborative economy platforms in Europe: Situation, behaviours, and implications for the digital policies

This study analyses how the intensity of the use of digital sharing economy platforms has evolved in the European Union in recent years, including during the pandemic, and whether there are differences between European regions. In the digital field, work has begun on regulations and public policies that coexist with different policies in the regions and municipalities. Using spatial econometric techniques, this study provides a comparative analysis of space and time that identifies regional inequalities in terms of the intensity of demand for accommodations offered on digital sharing economy platforms. In particular, different clusters of high-intensity collaborative tourism were detected, and spatial spillover effects and interdependencies between European regions in collaborative tourism were recognised, identifying a positive spatial autocorrelation in the intensity rate of collaborative tourism. The effect of tourist destination saturation on the use of accommodation on these platforms was also observed. Several digital public policy implications were discussed, promoting regulatory coordination at the interregional and pan-European levels to avoid inequalities and imbalances across Europe. •This research analyses how tourists using digital platforms have behaved in the EU.•This study provides a spatial econometric analysis identifying regional inequalities.•The results show a spatial autocorrelation in the collaborative tourism intensity rate.•Digital policy implications have been discussed, promoting EU regulatory coordination.