The effect of changing travel trends in tourism on accommodation preferences of young tourists: Couchsurfing example

Recently, there have been several differences in the tendencies of youth in tourism. The active use of social networks by the new generation worldwide makes it easier for them to meet and mingle with their peers from different cultures and countries. Within the scope of the research, Couchsurfing application was selected among the social media networks offering free accommodation to young individuals and the effect of this application on the accommodation preferences of young tourists was investigated. In this context, structured questionnaires were asked to 26 people that use couchsurfing during their travels. As a result of the qualitative research: meeting new people / locals, getting to know the place better and being economical were found important in choosing couchsurfing application. Staying in the home of someone that didn't known was not a concern for the majority of the participants. The most highlighted benefit of Couchsurfing was to make new friends and interact with different cultures and that Couchsurfing was found to offer benefits in observing the lifestyle of the country visited. Keywords: Travel Trends, Youth Tourism, Couchsurfing, Sharing Economy