Borders and Second Home Tourism: Norwegian and Russian Second Home Owners in Finnish Border Areas

Abstract

Trans-border tourism and second home ownership are growing phenomena around the world. Existing literature discusses the border as an attraction, barrier or opportunity for different types of interactions that cross it including tourism, while the relationship between borders and second home tourism has not received much academic attention. This study explores the role of borders in trans-border second home tourism. We ask: what are the motives for having a second-home in a neighboring country, and how does the border shape second home-related daily life? The study is conducted in Finland, which has recently become an attractive destination for foreign second home owners. The data was collected through interviews with Russian and Norwegian second home owners in areas bordering these countries. The results show that despite major differences in border regimes with Russia and Norway, the state border did not appear as a visible barrier to second home owners, but led to the formation of invisible barriers in both cases. Different types of physical borders formed similar imprints on the lives of second home owners. The foreign second home owners faced cultural and language barriers but at the same time had opportunities for recreation that did not exist in their own country.