Search

Experiencing nature and enjoying natural amenities have long been identified as key motives for rural second home tourism. However, the more people travel and spend time in the natural environment, the more it is disturbed by their actions and activities. In this paper, we examine how people perceive the environmental impacts of rural second home tourism and how they justify their views. The study focuses on Finland where rural second homes are widespread. Analysis is based on a questionnaire survey conducted among Finns in 2012 (n = 1189). Responses from different groups of respondents (second home owners, regular users of second homes and non-users) are quantitatively and qualitatively analysed. The results indicate that the Finnish respondents generally think that second home tourism poses some degree of harmful environmental impacts. However, it is the second home owners who are least worried about these environmental impacts. They generally justify their opinions using a “place-related” perspective, that is, by referring to their own experiences and actions at the cottage site. In contrast, the non-users see environmental impacts more often from a broader perspective by referring to the wider environmental interconnections with second home tourism. In our discussion, we introduce the notions of place-based (relative) and phenomenon-based (relational) environmental perceptions as a potential framework for future research on this topic. In mitigating the increasing environmental impacts of second home tourism, understanding the environmental perceptions and awareness of second home owners and users is crucial to be successful in mobilising sustainable options and environmental governance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Russian purchase of second home properties in Finland has been the subject of heated national and local debate in the Finnish media. This study examines the attitudes of permanent and second home residents to Russian second homeowners in Savonlinna, Eastern Finland ( N = 494). Three separate attitude groups were identified in relation to the effect of Russian second home owners in property prices; the Russians as an economic opportunity; and, the Russians as a threat. Negative attitudes were common, and it is possible that the relations between the Russian second homeowners and local residents will become more contested over time. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Second homes are an integral part of leisure history in many developed countries. They are also increasingly popular in modern societies. While the material well-being of home and work has increased, many people increasingly seek simpler life forms. An essential motive to use and purchase a second home is the landscape. This article explores the concept of second-home landscape on the basis of contemporary research and a case study of second-home owners in the Finnish Lakeland. Attributable to theories of human geography, three prominent approaches of second-home landscape are distinguished: physical, experiential and cultural. The case study illustrates that these are not mutually exclusive, but the landscape has many faces. Even if the physical attributes form the solid basis for the second-home landscape, it does not exist independentally of perception. It is produced through the everyday practices of people, which are adjusted to social and cultural discourses. In the strain of modern society, second-home landscape is often perceived as an ideal habitat. It, however, is in constant change in relation to time and space so that future generations, inheritors and buyers of the cottages will have their say in the contexts in which the landscape is interpreted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]