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1 INTRODUCTION
This study aims to present the perspective of public sector managers on second home tourism development in the Algarve. The main objective is to search for information about the influence of second home tourism on the activities of the municipalities in the region. Therefore, this research examines the current situation of second home tourism market.
In recent years, tourism has gained worldwide importance. Currently tourism accounts for about 9% of GDP (UNWTO, 2014), experiencing six decades of continuous growth. In Portugal, tourism has increased even in the last years during the period of crisis. Tourism revenue has increased except for 2009, the peak year of the crisis, as pointed out by Statistics Portugal - INE (INE, 2010, 2014). Part of this growth was due to accommodation market that had in 2013 around 3,345 accommodation facilities and 145 thousand rooms with a 326.2 thousand beds according to INE (2014).
Algarve is the most popular tourism destination in Portugal and famous in Europe due in particular to the "sun and beach" product. Golf and second home tourism are also very relevant products (Turismo de Portugal, 2013). This region is located in the southernmost area of Portugal's mainland, bordering Spain on the east, the Alentejo region in the north and the Atlantic Ocean on the south. Currently, this region represents around 25% of accommodation establishments and 38.4% of the capacity in Portugal (INE, 2014). Second home tourism is particularly important because it influences not only the tourism market, but also other activity sectors such as real estate, construction, and financial services. Second home tourism does not have a consensual definition, so in this study this term will be understood as a property purchased as a second residence, for tourism purposes, recreation or leisure, or for economic purposes, to generate income through rent or as an investment for sale after it is built.
Second home tourism has gained importance in Portugal's tourism planning. It is important not only for supplying more beds, but also for the number of owners and their loyalty to the region where they have their second home. This activity, from an economic and sociocultural point of view, generates impacts in the destination and in the host community, mainly, as pointed out by Palafox-Muñoz, Basto and Kauil-Fernandez (2014) in terms of changes in the way of life of the host population. Since 2009, according to the new legislation, establishments of second home are identified as local lodging. This is an additional justification for the necessity for a better understanding of this tourism product.
This study focuses on second home tourism due to its importance in the Algarve, mainly in some municipalities. For this reason, we present t public sector managers' perspective regarding the development of second home tourism in the Algarve. The main objective was to search for information about the influence of second home tourism in the activities of these municipalities, in order to evaluate the current situation of this product. The study is divided into four parts. The first part presents a literature review concerning the definition of second home tourism and the evolution of this market in Portugal. The second part discusses the methodology and the characterization of the survey applied to the public sector managers in Algarve. The third part presents the results about the perception of second home tourism from public sector managers' point of view. We end the paper by presenting some conclusions and implications of our study.
2 LOOKING FOR A DEFINITION OF SECOND HOME TOURISM
Second home has its beginnings in ancient civilizations wherein knowledge and mobility facilities were less developed than today. The richest part of the population moved from their dwellings to change routines. The society evolved worldwide and the phenomenon of temporary migrations is a reality and is what we can call as 'second home tourism'.
The early stages of second home initiated centuries ago in Ancient Egypt when prominent and rich people rested in their villas away from the routine of the urban centre. In the Hellenistic Greece, in the third and second centuries BC, the wealthy classes travelled to other locations looking for comfort, tranquility, and leisure (Cárcel, 2005).
Second home tourism studies began with Ljungdahl in 1938, according to Müller and Hoogendoorn (2013). Ljungdahl conducted an analysis of the second home market in Stockholm before World War II. However, according to Almeida (2009), the subject only caught the attention of academia after the study by Coppock: 'Second Homes: Curse or Blessing', in 1977.
After the early-stages of second home studies, many researchers have tried to develop a definition for the second home tourism market; however, today we have many different definitions from different perspectives and backgrounds, as is the case of many tourist markets and tourism destinations. As explained by Habib et al., ( 2017) there are numerous types of different connotations for the tourism market, thus it becomes difficult to define a concept. For instance, the study by Flores and Mendes (2014) examines the perspectives on tourism destination from different fields of study, in particular anthropology, geography, sociology, psychology, management, and economy. The authors suggest a definition of tourism destination: "destination as a system where the tourist will live an experience without borders, the content of which is co-created, where there should be cooperation and networks of public and private companies, to carry out an experience of excellence" (2014, p. 235).
Even though many authors have tried to define second home tourism, the concept is still not consensual. One of the oldest definitions comes from Barbier, in 1969, and it is used by Olmedo and Gomez, in 1989, as the accommodation belonging to a person who already has a main residence and usually resides in a city or at least away from this villa, visiting it on weekends or holiday (Almeida, 2009).
Complementing the previous definition, Andreu (2005) pointed out that according to the UNWTO, tourism is a phenomenon of moving to places that are different from the usual environment, to which the person travels for less than one year. Following this statement, the author discussed when second home tourism is considered tourism and when it is not. Second home tourism is often characterized by a lengthy stay in the destination. The author sets a standard of less/ or more than six months. According to this definition, second home tourism occurs if the owner stays less than six months. If the owner spends more than six months, he can be characterized as resident.
Following the previous ideas, Santos and Costa (2009) pointed out that UNWTO and Eurostat suggest that to define usual environment it is necessary to consider two dimensions, the distance and the frequency of travels. However, the attribution to define the limits of usual environment varies considerably between different regions and countries, as we can see below, in Frame .
Mazón and Aledo (2005) consider second home tourism as an economic activity whose main objective is to develop urbanization, frequently in coastal areas, where accommodations are generally purchased by retired people. Mazón (2006), cited by Almeida (2009), pointed out that old people usually buy or rent a residence looking for places with mild weather and a good quality of life.
Frame 1 Purposes and definitions of second home
| Author(s) | Country | Terminology | Definition |
| Bertolín, 1983 in Mazón (2005) | Spain | Residential Tourism | Urban development process that is nothing more than an artificial revitalization. The residential tourism characteristics do not allow economic stability of cities with economic structural problems that remain unresolved. |
| Mazón and Aledo, 1996 in Mazón (2005) | Spain | Residential Tourism | Economic activity dedicated to urbanization, construction and sale of residential tourist houses that make up the extra hotel sector, forming a set of houses, usually individually owned, offered to the tourist, often outside official channels, and situated mostly in coastal areas. The owners use these properties as a vacation residence or accommodation, permanent or semi-permanent, outside their place of habitual residence. |
| Mazón (2006) | Spain | Residential Tourism | Movement of people from the place of residence to another where they purchased or rented a house, common to retired people, resulting in a migration of older classes to new places of residence and leisure that usually is situated in Southern Europe's coastal destinations, where they can enjoy a mild climate throughout the year, offering a good quality of life. |
| Monreal, 2001 in Mazón (2005) | Spain | Residential Tourism | Phenomenon that implies mobility between sender and recipient spaces. Areas with high demand may face a growing population process. |
| Almeida (2009) | Portugal | Residential Tourism | A property used seasonally, and as second home, set in a tourist resort in plural property with complementary services and animation equipment or means of local accommodation that when properly registered can be commercialized for tourism purposes. |
| Barbier, 1969 in Olmedo, (1989) | France | Secondary Residence | Accommodation belonging to a person who already has a primary residence and that normally resides in a city or at least away from the villa, visiting at weekends or on vacation. |
| Cribier, 1973 in Olmedo, (1989) | France | Secondary Residence | Home leisure, belonging to a citizen or temporarily occupied by its owner, family or friends. |
| INE-Spain, 1995 in Colás, 2003 | Spain | Secondary Residence | Residence that the owner (or family in case of a dependent) has for use, which can be purchased, borrowed or leased permanently by its owner. It is not considered as such residences when they were purchased by the subject and subsequently leased or lent to others, or the residences that the subject rent for one's use in periods of less than one year. |
| Gómez, 1983 in Mazón (2005) | Spain | Second Home | A clear example of an irrational urban policy, uneconomic and contradictory, given that the social model based on economic development has value and consumption as means. |
| Tulik (2001) | Brazil | Second Home | A private tourist accommodation, for temporary use during leisure time, by people who have permanent residency elsewhere. |
| Thissen (1978); Timothy (2004) and Williams et al. (2004) in Marjavaara (2008) | Netherlands, United States, Great Britain and Sweden | Second Home | Second homes do not have only one purpose, but rather multiple purposes. These purposes can be related to issues other than recreational use and leisure, such as income generation, capital accumulation and speculation. |
| Taubmann, 1973; Jaakson, 1986; Girard & Gartner, 1993 and Tress, 2000 in Tress (2002) | Denmark, United States and Canada | Second Home Tourism | Recreational use of second homes by their owners, friends, family or tourists who rented the house. It takes into account relationships, behaviors, and actions that result from traveling and staying in a second home. The permanent residence in second homes is not considered as tourism. However, the authors pointed out that all groups of people traveling from their primary residences to second homes are considered tourists, be they owners or friends, family, or even people who rent these same houses. |
| Hiernaux, 2005 | Mexico | Second Home Tourism | Second home tourism is the one by which people go to a destination or a place that is not necessarily tourist per se, where they have possession by purchase, rent or loan of a property in which they spend the night and engage in leisure activities and recreation. |
| Ferreira & Silva (2008) | Brazil | Real Estate Tourism | A new way the housing market found to restructure itself without directly relying on public funding and without depending on the specificities of local economy, that is, the local income. This housing production modality is related to the segmentation of areas (in social practices of leisure, entertainment, rest, food, etc.) and in the possibility of new capital coming from outside investors, whether individuals or groups. |
| Gomes et al. (2013) | Brazil | Real Estate Tourism | The set of activities involving construction, real estate, financial agents and tourism sector. Individuals or entities who are interested in investing capital to profit from the enterprise's profitability, or to serve as second home property with recreational purposes, entertainment and, if liked, it can be purchased. |
| Pitkanen and Kokki (2005) | Finland | Rural Second Home | Traditionally rural second homes have provided urban dwellers with an opportunity to spend meaningful leisure time in peaceful environments as an alternative to urban daily life. |
| Abreu (2007) | Portugal | Residential Tourist Accommodation | Independent building used as second homes or used for tourist purposes associated with leisure activities, a full or partial property and endowed with complementary services and infrastructure. |
| Romita (2009) in (Romita, 2013) | Italy | Residential Tourism | Residential tourism is an informal and black economy phenomenon which is developed through private tourist accommodation, available in the area to accommodate the request from a self-directed, spontaneous, uncertain and unpredictable tourism demand which, in turn, organize and conduct their own choices through space and time of their tourism experience. |
| INE-Spain, 1994 and 1995 in Colás, 2003 | Spain | Secondary Housing | Dwelling is secondary when it is used only in certain period of the year, on a seasonal, periodic or sporadic basis and not as a usual residence of one or more people. It may be a country, beach or city house, used on vacation, summer, weekend, and temporary work or on other occasions. |
| INE-Portugal (2008) | Portugal | Local Lodging | Deemed to be local lodging establishments, villas or apartments, offering use permit, providing temporary accommodation services in exchange of remuneration, but not qualifying to be considered as a tourism enterprise. |
| Zaninetti (2013) | France | Vacation Homes | A vacation home is a type of second home that is used as property for a period of time, and mostly for recreation use. It is occupied for duration of five months to a maximum of a year; otherwise, it would be the household's primary residence. There are two main different ways to spend vacations - travelling, or staying. Vacation properties are part of the second option. |
Source: Developed by the authors
According to Silva and Ferreira (2008), in Latin America the second home tourism market is a type of real estate market that does not take into account the public financing and local economy. For these authors, the second home tourism market is more concerned about building segregated spaces and looking for capital through investors. In addition, Gomes et al. (2013) defines second home tourism as a market to attend the demand of four different economic sectors: construction, real estate, financial agents, and the tourism sector. In this tourism market, the demand is not only tourism, leisure or second home, but also the search for new areas of investment as a way to reduce the risk of income concentration in a single market.
As it can be seen, the definition of this tourism market segment has had the focus on the supply side. However, it overlooked the demand side, which is a key component. The demand is a driving force of the development of any tourism product (Almeida, 2009). These factors are crucial to define the type of development that can occur in the destinations where second home tourism is developed.
Using a word cloud exploratory method1, it is possible to perceive the crucial aspects about second home tourism definitions (Figure 1). Even if second home tourism does not have a clear definition, it is an economic activity that perceives tourist loyalty for a destination, even if for seasonal use, due to property purchase or rental. As a characteristic, firms often offer leisure services and activities for recreation and relaxation. The users are family and friends of the owner. Besides involving other markets for its development, during the process of buying and later purchase of the property, each market involves some actors that interfere with second home tourism development.
After reviewing the literature for the comprehension of second home tourism, we can see that the term "second home tourism", as discussed previously, does not have a consensual definition. In this study, the term will be understood, from now on, as " A property purchased as a second residence, for tourism purposes, recreation or leisure, or for economic purposes, to generate income through rent or as an investment for sale after it is built".
Second home tourism interferes with the development process of the regions where it is developed. Due to this fact, it is necessary to present some contextual aspects and legislation regarding the development of second home tourism in Portugal and in the Algarve region.
3 SECOND HOME TOURISM IN PORTUGAL AND IN THE ALGARVE
The legal framework must be taken into account when designing an analysis of supply and it is a crucial contribution to identify which settings apply to the topic under study. It is important to emphasize that the current study does not seek to detail every step of the evolution of the legislation. In this particular case, the study only highlights the evolution of the legislation applicable to tourism accommodation, in order to make clear the tourism process in Portugal.
The growing importance of second home tourism in Portugal has determined a change in the terminology in order to adjust to a new market reality. According to Santos and Costa (2009), the concept first appeared in Portugal, established by Statistics Portugal (INE), in the beginning of 1970s. The definition used was 'unidade de alojamento de uso ocasional ou sazonal' (accommodation unit for occasional or seasonal use). In the following censuses (1986, 1995, 1997, and 2001) the definition was 'alojamento ocupado com uso sazonal' (occupied accommodation with seasonal use), in 2001, INE also used 'residência secundária para fins turísticos' (secondary residence for tourism purposes). According to INE, the last definition regards the residences that are not used as primary residence but are used for leisure purposes, vacation or recreation. Such revisions aimed the optimization and simplification of regulations regarding this market, in accordance with the national context.
The changes, previously made in the nomenclature - which occurred in Portugal, - represent the evolution of perception of second home market by the governmental actors. This evolution is due to the expansion of this market and the need for a better understanding. Frame summarizes the evolution of the concepts in the legislation.
Frame 2 Evolution in the Legislation from the Concept of "Private House" to "Local Lodging"
| Laws | Definitions |
| Paragraph 3 and 4 of article 14º of Decree-Law nº 49399 November 24, 1969 Denomination of Private House | |
| Paragraph 1 and 3 of article 18º of Decree-Law nº 328/86 September 30, 1986 Denomination of Private Accommodation | Definition of Private Accommodation "...private accommodation rooms, villas or apartments that are occasionally used by tourists, for remuneration, and without the obligation of providing any service." |
| Paragraph H in point 1 of article 1º in addendum I and article 63º of Decree-Law nº 327/95 December 05, 1995 Denomination of Private Accommodation Tourist Support | Definition of Private Accommodation Tourist Support "...private accommodations to support tourism and those who, usually for the temporary and tourist leasing, do not come within the list of other projects of the present law." |
| Paragraph B of point 2 of article 1º of Decree-Law nº 167/97 of July 04, 1997 Denomination of Complementary Means of Tourist Accommodation | Definition of Complementary Means of Tourist Accommodation "They are complementary means of tourist accommodation. The projects aimed to provide in exchange of remuneration, temporary accommodation, with accessories and support services, in accordance with the characteristics and type of establishment." |
| Paragraph 1, 4 and 5 of article 66º of Decree-Law nº34/97 September 17, 1997 Denomination of Tourist Apartments and Tourist Dwellings | Definition of Tourist Apartments "Tourist apartments are establishments that comprise fractions of independent buildings, furnished and equipped, which are usually intended to provide, in exchange of remuneration, accommodation for tourists." Definition of Tourist Dwelling "Tourist dwellings are establishments constituted by an autonomous building of single-family character, furnished and equipped, which is usually intended to directly provide, in exchange of remuneration, accommodation for tourists." |
| Paragraph 1 of article 33º of Decree-Law nº 39/2008 March 07, 2008 Denomination of Local Lodging | Definition of Local Accommodation "It is considered local accommodation establishments the villas, apartments and lodging establishments, offering use permit, providing temporary accommodation services in exchange of remuneration, but not qualifying to be considered as tourism enterprises." |
Source: Developed by the authors, adapted from Almeida (2009)
For a better understanding of the evolution of local lodging and second home tourism in Portugal it is necessary to present more information about the accommodation sector. According to data from INE (2006), in 2006 Portugal had 2,028 establishments of tourism accommodation (hotels, apartment hotels, pensions, villas, tourist apartments, and others). Around 21.1% were in the Algarve, the second biggest accommodation market in Portugal, behind only the Norte region, but above the Lisbon region. However, regarding the total accommodation capacity in Portugal, the Algarve comes first, representing 36.9%. As pointed out by INE (2014), the Algarve is the top destination in terms of lodging capacity in Portugal, representing 38.4% and 25% of accommodation offer.
In 2008, the legislation on the characterization of tourism accommodation offer was adapted to meet the needs of the lodging market in Portugal. Among the adaptations, one focused on the second home tourism market, which became defined as alojamento local (local accommodation). This new legislation defined local accommodation as apartments, residences and lodging establishment that do not meet the requirements to be tourism enterprises (Official Gazette, 2008). Under this assumption, the accommodation used for second home tourism is characterized as local accommodation. However, according to the legislation the establishments had two years to adapt to the new legislation. Nevertheless, only in 2012 the values of local lodging and others were measured for the yearbook of tourism statistics 2013.
According to the 2015 yearbook of tourism statistics (INE, 2015), the accommodation sector was divided into three main parts, hotels, tourism in rural area, second home tourism and local lodging (TRA+RT+LL) and camping. However, this study focuses on hotels and TRA+RT+LL. In 2013, Portugal reached the level of 3,578 tourism establishments, with an increase of 7% in comparison to 2012 while the number of beds increased 5%. The hotels (hotels, apartment hotels, bed & breakfasts, tourist apartments, inns and Quintas da Madeira) maintained the predominance of establishment's number representing 43.32% with 1,550 establishments (according to the new legislation) and 83.2% of lodging capacity.
In 2014, local lodging represented 32% of the tourism establishment's numbers against 29.56% of TRA+RT total of lodging establishments. The number of beds of local lodging in 2014 represented 12.76% of the market or 43.8 thousands of beds. The local lodging represents alone 8.9% of overnight stays of the whole hosting activity, more than 4.3 million of overnight stays or increase of 16.9% in comparison with 2013 (INE, 2015) as can be seen in Table .
Table 1 Establishments, capacity, guests and overnight stays in the accommodation sector, 2014
| Establishment | Capacity | Overnight stays | |
|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Beds | Thousands | |
| Mainland | 3,578 | 342,924 | 48 711.4 |
| Hotels¹ | 1,550 | 284,924 | 43 507.7 |
| Rural tourism | 883 | 13,733 | 855.73 |
| Agro-tourism | 119 | 1,989 | 112.38 |
| Country house | 426 | 5,227 | 337.35 |
| Rural hotel | 60 | 2,175 | 191.21 |
| Others TRA² | 103 | 1,739 | 90.04 |
| Residential Tourism | 175 | 2,603 | 124.75 |
| Local lodging | 1145 | 43,840 | 4 347.9 |
(1): Current law: Hotels, Hotels-apartments, B&Bs, tourist apartments and Resorts
(2): Includes modalities Rural Tourism Village Tourism (establishments not converted) and other similar
Source: Developed by the authors, adapted from INE (2015).
In terms of local lodging, the Algarve region is the fourth in number of establishments, with 143. In number of bedrooms, it has 2,870 and regarding the lodging capacity, the Algarve maintains the position with 6,352 beds (INE, 2015). The local lodging in Portugal and in the Algarve, in 2014, represented 43,840 and 6,352 beds, respectively (INE, 2015).
Besides accommodation, second home tourism also involves real estate activities, such as selling, renting, and the management of the tourist villages and apartments. This market in Portugal employed 29.7 thousands of people in 2014. It represents an increase of 7.6% in the employment in this sector when compared to the previous year. Therefore, in the hospitality industry there was a decrease of -4.4% in 2014 when compared to 2013 (INE, 2015). This employment trend continued into the following year, with unemployment decreasing in Portugal to 13.5%, in 2014 (it was 15.3% in 2013) (INE, 2014).
4 METHODOLOGY
Second home tourism involves many economic sectors throughout its different phases of development and it affects other sectors. Municipalities are one of the key actors of second home tourism, as they plan strategically, approve, and control real estate investments in their jurisdiction. This study focuses on the perception of the public sector managers in the Algarve regarding the influence of second home in the region. In order to collect primary data we developed an online questionnaire that was sent to representatives of the 16 municipalities of the Algarve. The implemented survey was intended to be answered by the president or an appointed responsible for tourism in each municipality. We obtained answers from all the 16 municipalities in the Algarve.
The survey was developed to identify the perception of public sector managers within the Algarve region about the influences and impacts of tourism and second home tourism in their municipalities. The questionnaire focused on the identification of impacts in several dimensions of sustainability (economic, environmental, and social) as well as the aspects of the development of second home tourism in its local context.
The survey was implemented using an online platform Google Forms. The questionnaire was sent the first time in February 2015. We obtained the first reply in March 2015, whilst the last one, after several contacts, came in September 2015. The questionnaire is divided into three parts. The first part refers to the definition of profile of the public sector manager that answered the questionnaire. The second part refers to the perception of the importance of tourism and second home tourism in the sustainability dimensions identified. The last part of the survey refers to the perception of development of second home tourism in its context.
4.1 Descriptive Statistics
All municipalities answered the survey. The municipalities were represented by ten men and six women, with an average age of 40 years. Regarding their academic background, we can assume that they were qualified, 62.5% have higher education (degree), 25% have a postgraduate degree, and 12.5% have completed at least a master's degree. According to the academic background, it was also possible to know that 43.8% have some background in tourism studies, while 18.8% have background in Economics, followed by International Relations, Management, Marketing, and Physical Education, with 12.5%, 12.5%, 6.3% and 6.3% respectively.
As for the respondents' occupation, 25% were mayor or deputy mayor (12.5% each), council members represented 6.3%. The chief of staff represented 31.3% and technical staff represented 37.5% of respondents. The average number of years working in the public administration is 13.5 years, with the least being 5 years and the most 20 years of experience.
Regarding the perception of second home tourism growth, it was possible to notice that more than three-quarters of respondents believe that the second home tourism market in the Algarve will grow. While a quarter perceives a stagnation of this type of tourism, only 6% think the market will increase considerably in the coming years.
The results in Erro! Fonte de referência não encontrada. show how public sector managers perceive twenty aspects related to sustainability and its interaction with tourism. According to the answers, the increase of recreational opportunities and creation of unskilled jobs are aspects that have a major influence in tourism, with 68.8% each. It follows the creation of skilled jobs, reduction of seasonality, maintenance and preservation of historic buildings, and the increase in real estate speculation with 62.5%, 56.3%, 56.3%, and 50%, respectively.
The aspects that have a higher percentage of moderate influence are improved infrastructure, intensification of social life, and increase of public resources for environmental protection, each with 56.3%. Theses aspects are followed by innovation based on the exchange of ideas between local people and tourists, preservation of values, habits and customs, with 50% each and greater diversity of beliefs and values, improvement of the city's appearance, and excessive use of natural resources, with 43.8% each.
Regarding the aspects with low influence, the increase of pollution appears first, with 56.3%, followed by increased drug trafficking and use, rising of cost of living, and increase of vandalism, crime, and burglary, with 46.2%, 43.8% and 42.9% respectively. In the aspect of no influence in the tourism of the Algarve region, increased prostitution appears with 61.5%.
Making a similar comparison, but now only to second home tourism the only aspect that appears with higher influence is the maintenance and preservation of historic buildings, with 43.8%. With moderate influence, reduction of seasonality, and preservation of values, habits, and behaviors appear with 62.5% each.
Source: Developed by the authors
Figure 2 Opinion of the influence of Tourism (in general) x Second Home Tourism in one's town in some aspects
Following these aspects, increase in real estate speculation, increased recreational opportunities, innovation based on the exchange of ideas between local people and tourists, increase of public resources for environmental protection, appear with 56.3% each. With 50%, as moderate influences, appear creation of skilled jobs, creation of unskilled jobs, improved infrastructure, greater diversity of beliefs and values, and improvement of the city's appearance.
Concerning the aspects with low influence, the rise of cost of living appears with 66.7%, whilst increased pollution and excessive use of natural resources appear with 43.8%. Related to no influence, the highlight is increased prostitution, increase of vandalism, crime, and burglary, and increased trafficking and drug use, with 69.2%, 57.1%, and 53.8% respectively.
We had perform the Wilcoxon test on paired samples following Sheskin (2003), which is a non-parametric test that verifies the statistical significance between the medians for each pair of variables in a common sample, Table .
Table 2 Wilcoxon test
| Tourism - Second Home Tourism | Rejection of Null Hypothesis of Equal Medians (0.05)* | Asymp. Sig. (2-tailed) |
|---|---|---|
| [Increased overcrowding and congestion] - [Increased overcrowding and congestion] | No | .180 |
| [Excessive use of natural resources] - [Excessive use of natural resources] | No | .096 |
| [Increased pollution] - [Increased pollution] | No | .059 |
| [Increase of public resources for environmental protection] - [Increase of public resources for environmental protection] | No | .084 |
| [Improvement of city's appearance] - [Improvement of city's appearance] | No | .059 |
| [Increased trafficking and drug use] - [Increased trafficking and drug use] | No | .059 |
| [Increase in vandalism, crime and burglary] - [Increase in vandalism, crime and burglary] | Yes | .046 |
| [Increased prostitution] - [Increased prostitution] | No | .083 |
| [Maintenance and preservation of historic buildings] - [Maintenance and preservation of historic buildings] | Yes | .034 |
| [Preservation of values, habits and behaviors] - [Preservation of values, habits and behaviors] | No | .058 |
| [Innovation based on the exchange of ideas between local people and tourists] - [Innovation based on the exchange of ideas between local people and tourists] | No | .564 |
| [Greater diversity of beliefs and values] - [Greater diversity of beliefs and values] | Yes | .046 |
| [Intensification of social life] - [Intensification of social life] | Yes | .034 |
| [Increase recreational opportunities] - [Increase recreational opportunities] | Yes | .021 |
| [Increase in real estate speculation] - [Increase in real estate speculation] | No | .414 |
| [Rising cost of living] - [Rising cost of living] | Yes | .034 |
| [Improved infrastructure] - [Improved infrastructure] | Yes | .033 |
| [Reduction of seasonality] - [Reduction of seasonality] | Yes | .020 |
| [Creation of unskilled jobs] - [Creation of unskilled jobs] | Yes | .015 |
| [Creation of skilled jobs] - [Creation of skilled jobs] | Yes | .020 |
*Note: No differences are found at 0.01 significance level.
Source: Developed by the authors
We can see that in exactly 50% of the cases there are different perceptions between tourism and second home tourism. Among the aspects in which tourism and second home tourism differ most, the sociocultural and economical features stand out, while the impacts that resemble most are related to environmental factors. The greatest differences found among the variables are related to creation, whilst the innovation based upon the exchange of ideas between local people and tourists present the greatest resemblance between tourism and second home tourism.
Using the qualitative information provided in the questionnaire, we have summarized the perceptions of the municipalities regarding the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT). Below in Frame it is possible to see the SWOT of second home tourism, according to public sector managers. In accordance with the results below regarding the strengths, it is possible to underline that from all the dimensions cited in the research, the economic factors are mentioned the most. The emphasis is the contribution of second home tourism to the local economy.
Regarding the weaknesses, the question that was cited the most (five mentions) was the low quality of services offered, which is related to the increase of pollution and traffic. The main aspects mentioned were related to planning, due to the incapacity of government of adequately regulate them. This is an implicit idea in almost all of the aspects cited as weaknesses.
In relation to opportunities, the respondents mentioned various factors. The most common were the preservation and enhancement of cultural heritage in natural and rural areas, existence of buildings easily adaptable, or the reduction of seasonality.
As for the threats cited by the public sector managers, only two aspects received more than one citation: the economic crisis context and the high competition in the international markets. Regarding these two aspects, it is also perceived that they are related to how the government works to enhance the competitiveness.
In the final part of the survey, the respondents could make additional comments to enrich the study. Only two representatives of municipalities wrote relevant comments. One comment pointed out that it is important that many tourist beds in the informal market become local lodging, so that the decision-makers can act better in a market that is still largely unknown in terms of economic size. Other comment underlined that one important factor for the increase of second home tourism, at least in the region, is the airline and the destination airport, which contribute through low cost flights to travel more throughout the year, reducing seasonality.
5 DISCUSSION OF SURVEY RESULTS
In this section, we compare the perceptions of tourism and second home tourism effects in a variety of aspects. According to the results of the survey, the main impacts of tourism in the region, related to sustainability, are economic and sociocultural dimensions, while for the second home tourism the only impact is the maintenance and preservation of historic buildings. The socio-cultural dimension and some environmental aspects are perceived as moderately influenced by tourism. The effects of second home tourism moderately influence economic, sociocultural, and environmental aspects. However, only second home tourism is considered to increase vandalism, crime, and burglary.
Results from the literature, such as those by Aledo and Mazón (2004) and Almeida (2009), show that second home tourism is different from conventional tourism. For example, second home tourists commonly spend more time in the destination than the average tourist. The Wilcoxon's test adds information regarding the real difference between the types of tourism exploitation. Among all measured dimensions, tourism in general has more impact on the population that second home tourism.
The SWOT analysis shows several relevant aspects. As positive points (strengths) of the second home tourism perceived by the public sector managers, the contribution to the local economy in various areas, and the reduction of seasonality were the most highlighted. It is also worth noting that other issues were also mentioned, such as the appreciation of the local culture, so that tourists can see more of the local culture. Regarding the negative points (weaknesses), it is worth mentioning that four municipalities do not perceive any negative aspects in second home tourism, which can affect the planning and aggravate potential problems. Another highlight among the negative aspects is the low quality of services, namely the planning, which for some respondents is excessive while others consider it insufficient to regulate the construction and the types of offer.
Regarding the opportunities perceived by the public sector managers, there is the emergence of new low cost airlines due to the increased outbound markets. Another highlight is the existence of built heritage that can be adapted to the market demands. Finally, another point highlighted was the opportunity of occupation of rural areas with low population.
Vis-à-vis the perceived threats, it was observed that weaknesses were often mistaken for threats. However, the threat that stands out is linked to the context of the crisis that has been striking the country since 2007 and is still worrying the respondents. Other aspects are the increased international competition and the financial instability.
Regarding the evolution of second home tourism, most public representatives, believe that this market will grow significantly, compared to current reality. This fact can be interpreted in several ways. First, the increase in the number of buildings means greater tax revenues for the government; second, this perspective may result from the fact that second home tourism was included in the National Strategic Plan for Tourism (PENT); and, third, the amount of real estate owned by banks, that are gradually selling properties to balance the financial statements.
6 CONCLUSION
The growth of second home tourism in the Algarve has had difficulties in recent years due to the crisis, which struck the country in 2007. However, in the last Strategic Tourism National Plan (PENT), the public administration has acknowledged the importance of this type of tourism to attract foreign investment, through tax incentives and visas for foreigners who buy houses in Portugal.
The SWOT analysis shows several relevant aspects. As positive points (strengths) of second home tourism perceived by the public sector managers, the most referred aspects were the contribution to the local economy in various sectors and the reduction of seasonality, as well as the appreciation of the local culture. In terms of the negative points (weaknesses), it is worth mentioning that four municipalities do not perceive any negative situations in the second home tourism, which can aggravate the failure to plan and avoid potential problems. Another highlight is the large number of negative points regarding the low quality of services, which was the point that stood out the most among the surveyed. Regarding planning, some consider it excessive and others insufficient to regulate the construction and the types of offer.
Regarding the opportunities perceived by the public sector managers, the emergence of new low cost airlines due to the increased outbound markets stands out. According to Almeida (2009), this is one of the main factors to the development of second home tourism destinations, due to the offer of cheap travel around Europe throughout the year. Another highlight is the existence of built heritage that can be adapted to the market demands. Finally, another point highlighted was the opportunity of occupation of rural areas with low population.
Concerning the perceived threats, it was observed that weaknesses were often mistaken for threats. However, the threat that stands out is linked to the context of the crisis that has been affecting the country since 2007 and is still worrying the respondents. Other worries are the increased international competition and financial instability.
Regarding the evolution of second home tourism, most public representatives, believe that this market will grow significantly, compared to current situation. This fact can be understood in several ways. First, the increase in the number of buildings means more tax revenues for the government; second, this perspective may result from the fact that second home tourism was included in the National Strategic Plan for Tourism (PENT); and, third, the amount of real estate owned by banks, that are gradually selling properties to balance the financial statements.
In conclusion, it is clear that second home tourism is an alternative and complementary product to attract tourists, especially because of its contribution to the generation of income for the local population and reduction of seasonality. However, it is necessary to increase awareness of weaknesses and threats of second home tourism to a specific destination.
