Sharing economy in Barcelona: legal issues for nautical tourism

Abstract

The research aims to investigate the current state of the sharing economy in Barcelona, to analyse Barcelona as a tourism destination and study the legal issues of the sharing economy in nautical tourism under Barcelona regulations. This research analyses through qualitative methods, literature review and two different types of interviews, the concepts and development of the sharing economy, the tourism industry and the nautical sector in Barcelona, to be able to study the relation between those concepts and investigate the legal issues of the sharing economy. Companies with the sharing economy model are rapidly expanding, especially in the tourism industry. Those companies connect individuals that offer their products or services through platforms to make profitable their under-used assets with other individuals that are interested in buying or renting those products or services. Moreover, since the 1992 Olympic games, Barcelona is a powerful touristic city and an international hub for innovation that is experiencing the growth of the sharing economy model in every corner. Barcelona is also a coastal city that counts with a Mediterranean climate and sea, from where residents and travellers can experience the city in a different way, and one of the reasons why there are so many international companies set up in the city. Nautical tourism demand is growing gradually in Barcelona, but it is not aligned with the offer that nautical companies have. In addition, maintaining a boat is very expensive for boat owners and the average of use of their boat is 26 times per year. This research analyses the constant growth of sharing economy platforms and of tourism activity in Barcelona, collecting secondary data and primary data, from in-depth interview to professionals of the sector. In addition, the research has investigated the legal issues of applying the sharing economy model in nautical tourism.