Stakeholder perceptions in the government policies on the alternative accommodation industry

ABSTRACT

This study aims to understand the perceptions of visitors toward guesthouse budget accommodation. Q methodology was employed to explore the subjective meanings placed on Korean guesthouses. The study concentrated on the similarities and differences in the perceptions of guesthouses between operators and visitors. The results revealed four categories of perceptions in operators and six in visitors; with travel convenience and communication space as common perception categories. The differences were that operators focused more on economic vitalization, and visitors more on cultural awareness. It is apparent therefore that stakeholders in the guesthouse industry should foster the guesthouse model that includes both these variables. The results of the study will help in establishing strategic policies to allow budget accommodation practitioners to better understand customer characteristics. This is a pioneer study, with a unique research design, in the guesthouse sector, one of the fastest growing areas of the hospitality industry.

KEYWORDS:

• Stakeholder perception
• classification
• guesthouse operators
• visitors
• Q methodology

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.