Understanding the Impact Mechanism of User Behavior Pattern toward Real Estate APP Platforms in the Post-COVID Era: A Quantitative Analysis

While technology factors are the main driver of the booming real estate APP platforms with important implications for user behavior pattern during and post-pandemic contexts, there is a lack of adequate research. In response, this study explores the user behavior pattern of real estate APP platforms to promote user mental health by taking the real estate APP platforms users as the participants based on theory of technology readiness and acceptance model. Data collected from offline surveys are analyzed using PLS-SEM. The results reveal the technology readiness index positively affects individuals' perceived usefulness and satisfaction, ultimately positively affects individuals' continuance intention with real estate APP platforms;satisfaction with real estate APP platforms mediated the relationship between technology readiness index, perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, and individuals' continuance intention with real estate APP platforms. However, the group comparison finds no significant difference in user behavior patterns by gender. The contribution of this study is to reveal the influence mechanisms of digital technology on users' behavioral patterns toward real estate APP platforms, which can help guide the sustainable development of real estate APP platforms and promote user mental health and wellbeing in the post-COVID era.

Online innovation and repurchase intentions in hotels: the mediating effect of customer experience

PurposeThis study investigates how customer experience mediates the relationship between online innovation and repurchase intention in the hotel industry in Ghana.Design/methodology/approachData was collected from 167 clients from a two-star hotel in Accra, the capital city of Ghana. Structural equation modelling was used to analyse the relationship between the variables.FindingsResults from the analysis indicate that online innovation positively leads to higher repurchase intentions and better customer experience, affirming that customer experience leads to repurchase intentions. Thus, while online innovation leads to repurchase intentions, the strength of this repurchase intention depends on customer experience. Therefore, customer experience mediates the relationship between online innovation and repurchase intention in the hotel industry.Research limitations/implicationsThis study addressed only the customer's point of view;future studies could investigate the subject from the managers and other stakeholders' point of view to get a holistic view. Also, the sample size could be improved, and the study could be conducted in other African countries for comparison purposes.Practical implicationsThe study shows that online innovation does not automatically lead to increased positive repurchase intention. Hotel managers must, therefore, enforce good customer experience for better profitability.Originality/valueAs far as the researchers know, limited studies have been conducted into how customer experience mediates online innovation and repurchase intention in the hotel industry in Ghana using structural equation modelling. This makes this research unique in Ghana. This study makes an original contribution by measuring the real effect of innovation on repurchase intentions in the hotel industry in Ghana.

COVID-19 and Emergency Rental Assistance: Impact on Rent Arrears, Debt, and the Well-Being of Renters in Philadelphia

The federal government allocated an unprecedented level of funding to develop emergency rental assistance programs to help vulnerable low-income renter households remain housed during the COVID-19 pandemic. Using panel data from two waves of applicant surveys joined with administrative data, this article analyzes the impact of Phase 1 of the City of Philadelphia's COVID-19 Emergency Rental Assistance Program and asks how emergency rental assistance affected households in their rent arrears, rent-related debt, and mental health. Analysis shows that receiving emergency rental assistance was associated with lower arrears, a lower probability of rent-related debt, and a lower probability of experiencing frequent debilitating anxiety. The findings suggest that the initial rent relief provided crucial support for households in terms of financial and mental well-being but also underscore that housing affordability challenges that predated the pandemic cannot be addressed by an emergency rental assistance program created in response to a pandemic.

Protecting the Most Vulnerable: Policy Response and Eviction Filing Patterns During the COVID-19 Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic and resulting economic crisis exposed the U.S. rental housing market to extraordinary stress. Policymakers at the federal, state, and local levels established eviction moratoria and a number of additional direct and indirect renter-supportive measures in a bid to prevent a surge in evictions and associated public health risks. This article assesses the net efficacy of these interventions, analyzing changes in eviction filing patterns in 2020–2021 in thirty-one cities across the country. We find that eviction filings were dramatically reduced over this period. The largest reductions were in places that previously experienced highest eviction filing rates, particularly majority-Black and low-income neighborhoods. Although these changes did not ameliorate racial, gender, and income inequalities in relative risk of eviction, they did significantly reduce rates across the board, resulting in especially large absolute gains in previously high-risk communities.

A Critical Perspective on the Sharing Economy in Tourism Using Examples of the Accommodation Sector in Austria

In recent decades, services on digital platforms have become increasingly important in tourism. What started with concepts of exchange as a non- or less commodified practice of sharing accommodations (e.g., Couchsurfing) became exceedingly commodified in the platform economy on a global scale and turned into successful business models (e.g., Airbnb) with strong effects on traditional provider structures and local labour market. In Austria, the economic relevance of tourism traces back more than 100 years. Today, new forms of overnight stays, such as short-term rentals (STRs), have flooded the traditional tourism industry market with offerings in the accommodation sector and pose particular challenges in the housing market in Austrian cities. The COVID-19 crisis highlights the general volatility in tourism. Therefore, alternative business models seem to be more important than before. Discussing the relevance of hybrid sharing as a business model between market-based services and platform cooperatives in the global platform economy, domestic examples from Austria serve as an incentive for other countries to show new pathways in terms of alternative platform structures and work towards a less volatile economy. In doing so, national insights of regulations of global players and new guidelines of platform-based sharing are debated too. © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s) 2022.

Covid-19 and Short-Term Rental in Portugal: Unpre-dictable Futures

This article presents the results of a pioneering online survey of short-term rental (STR) hosts (N=879) in Portugal about the impact of Covid on their activity, with a sample structured into four areas (Lisbon, Porto, Algarve and the rest of the country). Despite the very high losses, especially in the cities, most of the respondents intend to continue operating in the STR sector. A massive migration from STR to long-term rental is not predicted for a number of reasons, including financial, those related to the nature of this type of supply – more temporary – and the high level of distrust of the state, specifically in terms of guaranteeing legislative stability. In the cities, medium-term rental is the alternative most commonly considered, suggesting there may be a possible restructuring of the sector. Survival capacity over the medium term will depend on the degree of losses and type of public support received during the pandemic, which has benefited hosts constituted as companies more than the sole proprietorships. © 2023,Revista Portuguesa de Estudos Regionais. All Rights Reserved.

Urban tourism in Italy between pandemic and attempts to circumvent: the case of some metropolitan cities

Urban tourism had to deal with the critical effects of the pandemic, as it undermined one of the fundamental traits of modernity: the mobility of people and goods. Focusing on a group of Italian cities, this paper presents some theoretical issues, recent tourism trends and discusses the changes in tourist accommodations triggered by the Covid-19. The analysis, based on data from a range of sources (official statistics, google trends, InsideAirbnb and Airdna), shows the persistence of some trends already observed before the pandemic outbreak, with the risk of new expulsions and inequalities. © 2022 Franco Angeli Edizioni. All rights reserved.

THE IMPACT OF COVID 19 PANDEMIC ON BUSINESS RESULT OF LYFT PLATFORM

The aim is to analyse the business results of the Lyft platform during the Covid 19 pandemic. Research and analysis of business results are the basis for comparison with the business results of other corporations in the sharing economy model. Selected financial indicators were used in the analysis, which were put in relation with selected ride-hailing indicators. The research was done using the financial analysis of parameters from the corporation's profit and loss account, that is, statistical regression of the ride-hailing trend in the selected time period. The research results indicate a strong impact of the Covid 19 pandemic on the overall activities of the corporation. In the first quarter of 2020, during the lockdown in the USA, the corporation's revenues and the number of rides dropped sharply. The corporation's revenues continuously grew until the emergence of the Covid 19 pandemic, and fell sharply with the advent of the lockdown model. The same trend was shown with the number of ride-hailing activities. After emerging from the crisis, revenues are recovering as well as the number of ride-hailing.

Users' Preferences in Selecting Transportation Modes for Leisure Trips in the Digital Era: Evidence from Bandung, Indonesia

Leisure trips have become more important in an era where people are increasingly concerned with quality of life. Leisure trips are unique in that they are not as strict as mandatory trips, while, at the same time, they have wider characteristics because of their flexibility. Research on leisure trips from developing countries is still under-represented as there is still a focus on commuting trips. This study aims to identify factors that influence the mode of transportation choice for leisure trips by domestic travelers who live in cities surrounding Bandung, Indonesia. Data were collected using stated-preference self-report questionnaires distributed to locals who have the intention to travel for leisure in Bandung in the future. Based on responses from 305 respondents with a total number of 1220 observations, a multinomial logit model was estimated. It was found that trains and buses were selected more often by locals than other modes of transportation, including private cars, for leisure trips. Our model showed that locals considered travel time and travel costs as the most significant factors in selecting the mode of transportation for their leisure trips. Besides the existence of online transportation—hailing rides through mobile apps—as an alternative, this study also reveals payment method to be a unique consideration of locals when travelling leisurely in this digital era.

The Political Economy of Housing Investment in the Short-Term Rental Market: Insights from Urban Portugal

Short-term rentals (STRs) emerged as holiday accommodations, disrupting the hospitality industry in the decade before COVID-19. Mainstream explanations for their growth revolved around digital tourism platforms like Airbnb as market disruptors and the sharing economy rationale. At the same time, critical scholars explored the capitalisation of greater rent gaps in urban central locations. However, these explanations are insufficient to explain the growth of STRs. We supplement them by building bridges between the urban political economy and the geographies of financialisation through the cases of Lisbon and Porto before the pandemic. The paper focuses on tourism-induced housing investment, taking a closer look at the profile of investors in association with STR property managers in the context of the late-entrepreneurial urban regime. We conclude that tourism development has allowed opportunities for housing financialisation through STR professionalisation, enhancing the allocation of interest-bearing capital in tourism-oriented real estate. © 2022 The Authors. Antipode © 2022 Antipode Foundation Ltd.

Dopady pandemie na sólo rodiče a jejich potřebu neformální pomoci

The Covid-19 pandemic has affected the work, personal, and family lives of all Czechs. In this regard, single parents are one of the most vulnerable groups. They are very frequent recipients of external support, provided by the state or by grandparents. Government restrictions, accompanied by, among other things, reduced availability of institutional childcare services, have significantly increased parents' demand for informal childcare. However, grandparents have not been able to fully satisfy this demand. Within the proposed typology, the so-called risk group of single parents who did not receive the required childcare support concerning school preparation or free time, as well financial or material help, was identified. The size of this group grew during the pandemic. According to regression analysis, parents of preschool and younger school children, working in precarious forms of work, in a low-income situation, and/or in rental housing, were at higher risk of falling into the group of single parents who need informal support.

Diploma Projects for LAB Equipment Rental - How Students Can Help University in the Covid-19 Era

Covid-19 pandemic hit a giant blow on in-person education. This was especially difficult when teaching laboratory related exercises. In this paper we show that we can treat this hardship as an opportunity, and engage students into creating tools that help their colleagues. In this particular case we present diploma projects that constituted equipment rental apps. We show that such form of diploma increases motivation and leads to nice results. © 2022 IEEE.

"Home away from home” in pandemic times: how has COVID-19 changed the Airbnb market in Melbourne?

PurposeThis study aims to investigate how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted and changed Airbnb market in the Greater Melbourne area in terms of its temporal and spatial patterns and identify possible shifts in underlying trends in travel activities. Design/methodology/approachA panel data set of Airbnb listings in Melbourne is analysed to compare temporal patterns, spatial distribution and lengths of stay of Airbnb users before and after the COVID outbreak. FindingsThis study found that the COVID disruption did not fundamentally change the temporal cycle of the Airbnb market. Month-to-month fluctuations peaked at different levels from pre-pandemic times mainly because of lockdowns and other restrictive measures. The impact of COVID-19 disruptions on neighbourhood-level Airbnb revenues is associated with distance to CBD rather than number of COVID cases. Inner city suburbs suffered major loss during the pandemic, whereas outer suburbs gained popularity due to increased domestic travel and long stays. Long stays (28 days or more, as defined by Airbnb) were the fastest growing segment during the pandemic, which indicates the Airbnb market was adapting to increasing demand for purposes like remote working or lifestyle change. After easing of COVID-related restrictions, demand for short-term accommodation quickly recovered, but supply has not shown signs of strong recovery. Spatial distribution of post-pandemic supply recovery shows a similar spatial variation. Neighbourhoods in the inner city have not shown signs of significant recovery, whereas those in the middle and outer rings are either slowly recovering or approaching their pre-COVID levels. Practical implicationsThe COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted short-term rental markets and in particular the Airbnb sector during the phase of its rapid development. This paper helps inform in- and post-pandemic housing policy, market opportunity and investment decision. Originality/valueTo the best of the authors' knowledge, this is one of the first attempts to empirically examine both temporal and spatial patterns of the COVID-19 impact on Airbnb market in one of the most severely impacted major cities. It is one of the first attempts to identify shifts in underlying trends in travel based on Airbnb data.

What Have We Learned About the Peer-to-Peer Market for Tourist Accommodation during the Pandemic?

This article The pandemic, declared in March 2020, meant a drastic change in trend in the peer-to-peer (p2p) market for tourist accommodation, which, until then, had experienced exponential growth. In this context, the objective of this work is to determine whether the propositions that had been established about this market before the pandemic are still valid. The methodology used consists in the presentation of some initial conjectures, to later verify them with the analysis of research on the subject providing quantitative estimates and relevant arguments. The results confirm that there were drops in demand, supply and prices due to the pandemic that seem to have contributed to the containment of long-term rental prices. All this allows us to conclude that, in a phase of strong contraction, economic analysis maintains its ability to understand the functioning of the p2p market.

The Political Economy of Housing Investment in the Short‐Term Rental Market: Insights from Urban Portugal

Short‐term rentals (STRs) emerged as holiday accommodations, disrupting the hospitality industry in the decade before COVID‐19. Mainstream explanations for their growth revolved around digital tourism platforms like Airbnb as market disruptors and the sharing economy rationale. At the same time, critical scholars explored the capitalisation of greater rent gaps in urban central locations. However, these explanations are insufficient to explain the growth of STRs. We supplement them by building bridges between the urban political economy and the geographies of financialisation through the cases of Lisbon and Porto before the pandemic. The paper focuses on tourism‐induced housing investment, taking a closer look at the profile of investors in association with STR property managers in the context of the late‐entrepreneurial urban regime. We conclude that tourism development has allowed opportunities for housing financialisation through STR professionalisation, enhancing the allocation of interest‐bearing capital in tourism‐oriented real estate. (English) [ FROM AUTHOR] Resumen Los alquileres de corta duración (STRs en sus siglas en inglés) surgieron como alojamientos vacacionales, revolucionando la industria turística en la década anterior al Covid‐19. Las principales explicaciones sobre su irrupción apuntan a que las plataformas de turismo digital, como Airbnb, alteraron el mercado a través de la lógica de la economía colaborativa, mientras que voces críticas también han explorado la capitalización de brechas de renta más amplias en áreas urbanas centrales. Sin embargo, estas explicaciones son insuficientes para comprender el rápido crecimiento de esta tipología de alojamiento. Aquí se complementan tales ideas mediante la articulación entre la economía política urbana y las geografías de la financiarización a través de los casos de Lisboa y Oporto antes de la pandemia. El artículo se centra en la inversión inmobiliaria inducida por el turismo, examinando el perfil de los inversores privados en conjunción con las empresas de gestión de propiedades para alquiler turístico en el contexto del urbanismo empresarial tardío. Así, concluimos que el desarrollo turístico reciente ha ampliado el horizonte de financiarización de la vivienda gracias a la profesionalización del alquiler vacacional, maximizando los beneficios del capital invertido en bienes inmobiliarios para uso turístico. (Spanish) [ FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Antipode is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full . (Copyright applies to all s.)

Procesos sociodemográficos y alquileres turísticos en centros históricos. Los casos de Sevilla y Cádiz

El impacto del Covid-19 ha supuesto una brusca paralización del turismo, generando incertidumbre a nivel internacional. En este marco, el último periodo de auge del sector, correspondiente a la recuperación económica en 2012, y la repentina nueva recesión en 2020, ofrecen un periodo privilegiado para examinar los impactos del turismo en los centros urbanos. Este trabajo analiza la relación entre procesos sociodemográficos y el alquiler turístico en el último periodo de auge del turismo, tomando como caso de estudio los centros históricos de dos ciudades andaluzas de marcado carácter turístico: Sevilla y Cádiz. El análisis se fundamenta en los datos sociodemográficos suministrados por el Censo de Población y Vivienda y el Padrón Municipal de Habitantes, junto a información de alquileres suministrados por distintas fuentes. Como resultado, el trabajo demuestra estadísticamente la relación entre la distribución de los alquileres turísticos y varios procesos sociodemográficos, y su influencia en la pérdida de población.Alternate :The impact of the Covid-19 has harshly affected tourism, triggering uncertainty at the international level. In this context, the last period of the sector's boom, corresponding to the economic recovery in 2012 and the abrupt new recession in 2020, is a privileged period for examining the impacts of tourism in urban centers. This paper analyzes the relationship between sociodemographic processes and tourist rentals in the last period of the tourism boom, taking as a case study the historical centers of two Andalusian cities of a markedly tourist nature: Seville and Cadiz. The analysis is based on the sociodemographic data provided by the Census of Population and Housing and the Register of Inhabitants, along with rental information provided by different sources. The results statistically demonstrate the relationship of the distribution of tourist rentals with various sociodemographic processes and their influence on the loss of population.

Location Selection of Charging Stations for Electric Taxis: A Bangkok Case

The transition from ICE to BEV taxis is one of the most important methods for reducing fossil fuel consumption and air pollution in cities such as Bangkok. To support this transition, an adequate number of charging stations to cover each area of charging demand must be established. This paper presents a data-driven process for determining suitable charging locations for BEV taxis based on their characteristic driving patterns. The location selection process employs GPS trajectory data collected from taxis and the locations of candidate sites. Suitable locations are determined based on estimated travel times and charging demands. A queueing model is used to simulate charging activities and identify an appropriate number of chargers at each station. The location selection results are validated using data from existing charging services. The validation results show that the proposed process can recommend better locations for charging stations than current practices. By using the traveling time data that take the current traffic condition into account, e.g., via Google Maps API, we can minimize the overall travel time to charging stations of the taxi fleet better than using the distance data. This process can also be applied to other cities.

Indicators of Geographic Potential and Business Opportunities for the Development of Active Tourism: Kayaking in Poland

Poland’s natural and geographical features, including an abundance of rivers and lakes, create favorable conditions for the development of kayaking tourism. Poland is one of the leading European countries in terms of the number of kayaking trails. The aim of this study was to propose indicators for assessing the potential of Poland’s water resources for the development of kayaking activities. This research was pursued in several stages. The number of rivers where kayaking tours are organized was determined in the first stage of the study. Indicators describing the potential of the existing water bodies for the promotion of kayaking tourism were proposed in the second stage. The study produced surprising results. The number of kayaking tour operators has increased considerably in recent years, and new water tourism centers have been established in the vicinity of large urban areas. The popularity of well-established kayaking destinations in Warmia-Masuria, Podlasie and Western Pomerania, i.e., Polish regions with considerable potential for the development of water tourism, has declined. The study revealed that the success of kayaking businesses is presently determined by other factors, and further research is needed to identify these determinants.

The impact of COVID-19 on the short-term rental market in Spain: Towards flexibilization?

The Spanish real estate and its ‘sea and sun’ tourism model, were profoundly disrupted during the Great Recession of 2008–2014 As a result, hedge funds and their speculative operations have favoured an intense process of urban touristification in the largest Spanish cities, especially over the past ten years. The aim of this paper is to examine how the COVID-19 crisis has triggered shifts in the supply of short-term rentals and the type of demand of such rentals. By taking into account such changes, we will address the potential changes that the current pandemic scenario might bring between the ‘classical’ real estate market and short-term rentals in Spain.

Optimization of Relocation Processes for Shared E-vehicles

. This study describes a system with one-way trips and relocations of e-vehicles between sectors by service personnel according to a dynamically compiled list of service trips. The model includes an algorithm that uses model parameter values to optionalize expected income, depending on the dynamically selected e-vehicle transfer. The implementation of the MIP (Mixed-Integer Programming) type algorithm proposed in the study pays particular attention to its performance, as optimization should be performed dynamically with a few hours' interval. The developed optimization algorithm has been validated for its practical application in Riga, Latvia.