The emergence of Covid-19 caused large-scale transmissions around the world which transformed the ordinary course of life and business operations. This paper aims to provide an exploration of the effects of Covid-19 on Airbnb digital platform on its operating principles consisting of global travel and sharing-economy in Copenhagen.
Exploring the complexities of the phenomena and its subsequent effects on Airbnb related travel bookings, while they are still unfolding, the study employs a central quantitative and statistical approach, as well as deeper querying into official news to understand what factors from the context emerge as influential. Aggregate findings indicated a disruption in the Airbnb accommodation-market depicting a range from 50-90% in the number of bookings.
The explanatory analysis identified five potential factors - lockdown imposed by Denmark, fear of travel over health concerns, limited borders opening in the destination country, and 0-1 days interval of time between official news and the decision to cancel the booking. The study serves as a pioneer in the hospitality industry and sets the basis for further research by providing an overview of the market conditions in Copenhagen under Covid-19 circumstances. Various limitations and reflections on the findings are discussed.