The meaning of rental second homes and places: the owners’ perspectives

Abstract

This paper is based on a review of owners' perspectives of two sun and golf destinations À Albufeira (in the south of Portugal) and Islantilla (in the south of Spain), using a cross-regional sample, based on owners' descriptions collected from ownersdirect.co.uk (online vacation rental platform). The aim is to understand the owners' vacation rentals descriptions depicting their perspectives in categories such as sense of place, hospitality and house facilities. This exploratory research departs from grounded theory, which means that no presuppositions were set. The qualitative feedback from the study reaffirms that the sense of place is not a static concept, as Albufeira and Islantilla owners' descriptions bring together emotional and cognitive elements personalizing their properties and the surrounding environment. The results suggest that togetherness, relaxation, continuity and place attachment are the most highlighted points when announcing their properties, particularly in Albufeira. The analysis of this phenomenon through an innovative design that puts together textual analysis of the owners' online vacation rental description and the virtual environment is one of the main contributions of this paper. The limited descriptions of the destination give rise to the absence of the sense of place from a local perspective to the owners of a second home in those destinations. This may be one of the reasons that they opted to rent their homes.

A cultural analysis of the secondary housing tourism in Vilcabamba, Ecuador

“…Place attachment has been previously studied in the second home tourism market. For example, Dias et al (2015) analyze the second home owners’ perspectives of two sun and golf destinations in the southern EU (Albufeira in the south of Portugal and Islantilla in the south of Spain) and conclude that the limited descriptions of the destination observed in the rental advertisement has the origin in the lack of the sense of place attachment, and this is also the reason for renting the house. In contrast, Marschall (2015) analyze the trips of survivors and the descendants who travel to places that were once their home from which they were obliged to emigrate for various reasons that vary from political persecution to other economic causes.…”

“…These reasons are usually classified according to a variety of migrants’ life-styles that finally influence in the health and subjective well-being of the retired citizens (Gustafson, 2001; Hall and Hardill, 2016). We can mention the following: improving the quality of life (Casado-Díaz, 2006); retiring and living in countries that they knew on their vacation (Casado-Díaz et al , 2004); looking for a lower cost of life and warmer climates (Huete, 2009); moving out to escape from their home countries or to be away from relatives (Warnes, 2001); knowing different people, cultures and places (Gustafson, 2001); relaxing in quieter cities and towns where they can live away from noise and globalization (Tress, 2002); and adjusting the preferences according to the place attachment (Dias et al , 2015; Marschall, 2015; Tjorve et al , 2013). …”

“…adjusting the preferences according to the place attachment (Dias et al , 2015; Marschall, 2015; Tjorve et al , 2013).…”

The home exchange phenomenon in the sharing economy: a research agenda

“…Logically, the more attractive the home is, the more potential swappers will be available to choose from, increasing the range of potential destinations to travel to and accommodation types to select. In a similar fashion to second homes, owners who rent out their properties via online platforms must attempt to persuade potential guests to choose their properties (Dias, Correia & Martínez López, 2015).…”

Conceptualizing peer-to-peer accommodations as disruptions in the urban tourism system

“…The curation of 'home' by P2PA company marketing campaigns potentially simplifies the true process of home making, which requires compounding experiences, values, beliefs, and norms over time (Tuan, 1975). Moreover, these attributes of home making are shaped by historical, cultural, physical, and ecological attributes of the natural and built environment (Dias et al, 2015;Tuan, 1975). The oversimplification or perhaps narrow projection of the 'home' to guests reinforces the illusion that they are only consuming an experience at the listing as advertised to them thus creating a 'myth identity' of the home (Harley, 1989).…”