Reconceptualising urban space with second home tourism: The emergence of an urban second-home tourism enclave

• Published in: Annals of tourism research 2024-03, Vol.105, p.103708, Article 103708
• Main Authors: Yang, Yi, Whitford, Michelle, Lockstone-Binney, Leonie
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Second-home tourism; Socio-spatial perspective; Sustainable urban development; Tourism enclave; Urban tourism
• ISSN: 0160-7383; 1873-7722
• DOI: 10.1016/j.annals.2023.103708

Growing interest surrounds second homes in tourism and urban planning. Despite the strong conceptual foundation pertaining to rural second-home tourism, limited discourse assesses its development mechanisms and impacts in urban contexts. By leveraging enclave concepts from geography, this study employs a socio-spatial perspective to examine how second-home tourism shapes the urban environment. A case study approach was adopted to investigate the formation of second-home tourism spaces in Sanya, China. Findings from 34 semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders identified three attributes differentiating second-home tourism spaces from their surroundings. These findings inform the development of a conceptual framework for understanding the emergence of second-home tourism enclaves, which considers potential economic leakage and threats to sustainable urban development. •Conventional assumptions of rural second homes are contested in the urban context.•The dynamics of tourism-induced urban space are proposed in a holistic framework.•Socio-spatial perspectives in tourism research are advanced.•The urban second home tourism enclave emerges as a new type of enclave.•Second home tourism leakage, previously neglected, is identified and discussed.