Co-creating Communities of Place in Second Home Tourism

The paper contributes to extant research by conceptualising and extending our understanding of communities of place and particularly the role of second home owners in the co-creation of these. Previous research has dealt with how translocated residents, such as second home owners, participate in co-creation activities with permanent residents. Despite considerable attention given to second home owners impacts on local communities, research that delves into the intricacies of their participation is missing. Specifically, there is a gap in understanding the diverse ways second home owners engage in the co-creation, and sometimes co-destruction, of communities of place. Utilising longitudinal data gathered from 2016 to 2022 in two second home areas in Denmark, this paper explores the defining aspects of these dynamics, synthesising them into distinct roles that second home owners can assume in these co-creation processes. Three overlapping co-creative/co-destructive roles of second home owners in communities of place that transcend places and contexts are defined and explored: custodians, holiday consumers and innovators. Contrary to prior assumptions, our research challenges the notion that specific groups of second home owners inherently contribute more positively to a community, as we find that each role carries the potential for both co-creative and co-destructive outcomes.