Couchsurfing as a virtual hospitality network and a type of sustainable youth tourism

Abstract

The modern tourism diversity coursed by the emergence of its new varieties is sure to evolve with a view to the goals of sustainable future. The article is dedicated to couchsurfing, a kind of sustainable youth tourism, a global hospitality network, as an online service used for transcultural communication of tourists through the organization of various assistance during joint travel. It helps meet tourists' recreational needs and travelling at no charge. The article considers the organizational structure of couchsurfing as a network managed by regional units. The authors identify the factors that influence the development of this type of tourism (globalization of the world economy, the development of the Internet, the growth of human wellbeing, democratization of society and etc.). They offer a comprehensive classification of types of couchsurfing by several criteria (age of tourists, number of participants, purpose of the trip and direction, length of stay, intensity of tourist flow). The regional peculiarities of the couchsurfing development are identified, and the regions with high (Europe, Anglo-American, Australia and New Zealand), middle (Asia and Latin America) and low levels of its development (Africa, Oceania and Central America) are distinguished. The map material illustrating the spread of couchsurfing around the world is created.