Allianz Global Assistance, USA’s third annual Travel Insurance Sharing Economy Index, showed that 50 percent of Americans are either somewhat or very likely to use sharing economy services for the travel booking during this summer season. This was just 17 percent in 2015 and 36 percent last year and the rise in the popularity of sharing economy services such as Lyft, Uber and Airbnb is certainly a new trend to follow.
Ipsos Public Affairs conducted this first-of-its-kind year-on-year study and discovered that the rise in utilization correlates with a spike in familiarity. Nearly eight out of 10 travellers (78 percent) are familiar with sharing economy services in 2017, compared to just 66 percent last year and 47 percent in 2015.
While Uber is one of the most recognisable service, Airbnb and Lyft had to work really hard to make their mark amongst the domestic as well as international tourists.
Some lesser-known services such as HomeAway and Getaround also saw rise in their demand by up to 20 and 11 per cent respectively.
Allianz Global Assistance USA’s director of communications Daniel Durazo said in a statement that, “in the years that we’ve conducted the Sharing Economy Index, it has been incredible to see the significant growth in familiarity and use of sharing economy services for summer travel.”
Although there is a rise in the sharing economy demand, majority (48 percent) of travellers admit to being “somewhat trustworthy” and 13 percent are “not very trustworthy.” This is why, when it comes to delivering the best customer support, travellers favour traditional services.
