Some Airbnb host communities display the characteristics of neo-tribes. The neo-tribe literature offers rich insights into the life of a neo-tribe, but their formation and ongoing functioning remain underresearched. This paper investigates these issues using a netnographic approach that explored the formation and practices of a Tasmanian Airbnb Host Forum. The results reveal the reason for its formation and the functions of the neo-tribe, particularly as a support mechanism for hosts and defiance against perceived marginalisation by the tourism industry that has refused to embrace hosts; residents who viewed hosts as traitors; the government who regulates their entrepreneurial activities; and the media who vilified them. This study contributes to theory by developing knowledge on the stages of neo-tribal formation, and the influence that these stages have upon the ongoing function of the tribe.
History
Publication title
Tourism Management Perspectives
Volume
37
Article number
100760
Number
100760
Pagination
1-9
ISSN
2211-9736
Department/School
College Office - College of Arts, Law and Education