The tourism industry’s support of the Israeli illegal settlements in the West Bank : A discourse analysis on Airbnb’s explanations on their responsibility to respect human rights as well as their involvement in the occupied West Bank

Sammanfattning: The purpose of this bachelor’s thesis is to analyze and deepen the understanding of how the tourist company “Airbnb” explains their responsibility to respect human rights as well as how they explain their involvement in the illegal settlements in the West Bank. These two aspects are the focus of the two research questions that the study aims to answer. Accordingly, this study aims to explore concepts such as ethics and human rights as well as their impact on businesses’ behavior. To achieve the purpose of the study, seven statements on Airbnb’s explanation to respect human rights, as well as four statements on their involvement in the occupied West Bank are analyzed through a discourse analysis. More specifically, analytical tools conducted by Jørgensen and Phillips are used in the analysis to reveal underlying themes and patterns. The study is conducted through postcolonialism as a theoretical prism, more specifically orientalism. A short background on the connection between colonialism and tourism, the Israeli occupation’s impact on tourism in the West Bank as well as Airbnb’s specific role in the illegal settlements is presented in the study. Thereafter the statements are analyzed with the help of the discursive analytical tools to answer the research questions. A fundamental finding of the study is Airbnb’s inconsistency in their statements contra their behaviour since they, in the statements, emphasize respecting human rights and combating discrimination while they on the other hand justify operating in the illegally occupied West Bank, knowingly contributing to legitimizing and upholding human suffering and human rights violations. Another essential finding is the importance of human rights activists and their criticism’s ability to influence businesses in fear of harming their brand and reputation.