Rural residents’ opinions about second home owners: Does the spatial arrangement of a village matter?

Abstract

In the sustainable development of rural tourism, great emphasis is put on protecting the quality of life of local communities in environmental, economic and socio-cultural aspects. The phenomenon of tourist enclaves, a classic example of which are closed tourist resorts in developing countries, is indicated as a significant threat to the quality of life of such communities. In this article, we decided to apply the concept of tourist enclaves to the spatial development of second home tourism in peripheral areas (East Poland). The main goal of the study was to investigate the extent to which the spatial layout of tourist villages influences the activities shared and the intensity of social contact between residents and second homes owners, as well as the quality of relations between them. The results indicate significant differences between villages comprising different spatial arrangements.