Lifestyle migration in the Keszthely district of the west-Balaton region

Abstract

A relatively small but growing group of migrants nowadays are people moving to countries that are better known as migrant-sending locations. These voluntary migrants-frequently retired persons-decide on moving mostly in the hope of a better life quality they think to find abroad rather than in their own country. The property purchase of foreigners therefore related to this kind of migration, and relatively little attention is being paid to this kind of voluntary, lifestyle migration, though it can have a significant economic and social impact on the host country. Foreign property owners and several persons who are in contact with these foreigners were in-depth interviewed-as the special subject require empirical research methods-in the framework of the present research to determine the main motivations of property purchases in the Keszthely District of the West-Balaton Region, Hungary. Main motivating factors were identified as economic reasons, expectancy for a better, calmer new way of living and favourable climate conditions. Following the change of regime in Hungary three era in property purchase can be differentiated in the examined region based on the direction of migration with a gap between the first and second phase after the 2008 crisis.