A Typology of Hosts in Housing Tourism
193
As Silva (2012) points out, in some cases, even when houses are classified, some
of their owners do not show interest in spreading their potential. In fact, these house
owners joined the business as a way of recovering the house, but assume a stance of
resistance to the market, because they lack a capitalist spirit. However, another group
of owners is proving to be entrepreneur in spirit and strives to match the motivations
of demand. In our theorising (Braga 2016), we have designated these two opposing
types as ‘Vocational Hosts’ and ‘Non-Vocational Hosts’.
We understand that our typology is better adapted to HT and is more incisive
and adherent to the empirical data than what Silva (2010) suggested for the broader
modality of RT. If we distinguished eight types of hosts (Braga 2016), Silva (2010
p. 95) identified “four major groups of actors”:
1. Owners belonging to the former provincial aristocracy (in our theorising we call
them ‘lineage hosts’), who joined the HT essentially to restore and preserve in
the family the heritage bequeathed to them, namely manors and palatial houses.
2. Farmers and animal breeders, who intend to take advantage of old agricultural
facilities, such as granaries, caretakers’ houses and storerooms.
3. The undifferentiated (in our theorizing we have designated this group as ‘hosts
by acquisition’) owners who restore and convert old houses located in villages
and other places, with the aim of increasing their savings at the expense of the
tourism activity.
4. The prevaricators (in our theory, we call them ‘manipulator hosts’) (Braga 2016)
are the owners of the houses that joined HT to obtain funds for their restoration
and improvement, which often remain inaccessible to tourists and work only as
a secondary residence for these individuals and their families.
According to the same author, HT promoters tend to have a feeling of rejection towards the city. The tranquillity and quality of life, typical of the rural world,
contributed to their permanent fixation in these areas. Unlike them, guests only want
to have the experience of living in the rural world, without wanting to live there
permanently (Silva 2009).
It also happens that the families that own these houses are also a target of interest
for the guests, due to the fact that some of them bear noble titles, distinctions that are
related to the History of Portugal and to the ‘social stratification, characteristic of the
monarchy’ (Silva 2010, p. 38). On the other hand, the HT enables the preservation of
ties with the property and with the terroir, on the part of the family to which the host
belongs to, whose life in the countryside would be unsustainable if it wasn’t for the
tourist activity provided. In the theory that we elaborated, this intimate connection
of the family to the manor house is expressed by the concept ‘Apego’ (‘Attachment’)
(Braga 2016).
Therefore, HT can offer a source of supplementary income to retired hosts or
owners who are mainly engaged in agriculture or even young members of the family
without permanent employment.
193
As Silva (2012) points out, in some cases, even when houses are classified, some
of their owners do not show interest in spreading their potential. In fact, these house
owners joined the business as a way of recovering the house, but assume a stance of
resistance to the market, because they lack a capitalist spirit. However, another group
of owners is proving to be entrepreneur in spirit and strives to match the motivations
of demand. In our theorising (Braga 2016), we have designated these two opposing
types as ‘Vocational Hosts’ and ‘Non-Vocational Hosts’.
We understand that our typology is better adapted to HT and is more incisive
and adherent to the empirical data than what Silva (2010) suggested for the broader
modality of RT. If we distinguished eight types of hosts (Braga 2016), Silva (2010
p. 95) identified “four major groups of actors”:
1. Owners belonging to the former provincial aristocracy (in our theorising we call
them ‘lineage hosts’), who joined the HT essentially to restore and preserve in
the family the heritage bequeathed to them, namely manors and palatial houses.
2. Farmers and animal breeders, who intend to take advantage of old agricultural
facilities, such as granaries, caretakers’ houses and storerooms.
3. The undifferentiated (in our theorizing we have designated this group as ‘hosts
by acquisition’) owners who restore and convert old houses located in villages
and other places, with the aim of increasing their savings at the expense of the
tourism activity.
4. The prevaricators (in our theory, we call them ‘manipulator hosts’) (Braga 2016)
are the owners of the houses that joined HT to obtain funds for their restoration
and improvement, which often remain inaccessible to tourists and work only as
a secondary residence for these individuals and their families.
According to the same author, HT promoters tend to have a feeling of rejection towards the city. The tranquillity and quality of life, typical of the rural world,
contributed to their permanent fixation in these areas. Unlike them, guests only want
to have the experience of living in the rural world, without wanting to live there
permanently (Silva 2009).
It also happens that the families that own these houses are also a target of interest
for the guests, due to the fact that some of them bear noble titles, distinctions that are
related to the History of Portugal and to the ‘social stratification, characteristic of the
monarchy’ (Silva 2010, p. 38). On the other hand, the HT enables the preservation of
ties with the property and with the terroir, on the part of the family to which the host
belongs to, whose life in the countryside would be unsustainable if it wasn’t for the
tourist activity provided. In the theory that we elaborated, this intimate connection
of the family to the manor house is expressed by the concept ‘Apego’ (‘Attachment’)
(Braga 2016).
Therefore, HT can offer a source of supplementary income to retired hosts or
owners who are mainly engaged in agriculture or even young members of the family
without permanent employment.