20 years of Nordic second-home tourism research: a review and future research agenda

Abstract

ABSTRACT Second-home tourism is a prominent feature of Nordic tourism. This article reviews Nordic research on second-home tourism since 2000 and relates it to international trends within this field. Furthermore, it provides a short outline of future research needs and opportunities. The review indicates that Nordic second-home tourism research has been highly productive and influential. After being dominated by national overviews, research has more recently addressed issues such as environmental impacts, community tensions and displacement, internationalization, and planning. Indeed, with this, Nordic researchers have gained core positions in the international ecosystem of second-home research, and particularly Umeå University has developed into the epicenter of second-home research. Although the situation for Nordic second-home research has been strong, generational shifts imply a risk of discontinuation. However, a more nuanced view on the second-home phenomenon detects the varieties of second-home tourism and the multiple interconnections to other fields of research. Against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic, second-home research can become a forerunner in understanding households’ new spatial–temporal arrangements, combining various homes and places.