SPATIAL ANALYSIS OF THE SOCIO-CULTURAL IMPACT OF SECOND HOME TOURISM. A CASE STUDY: APUSENI NATURE PARK (PART OF CLUJ COUNTY)

Abstract

The impact of second home tourism has been one of the most researched topics in international literature. The main objective of this study is to assess the possible socio-cultural effects of second home tourism on the local community from a spatial perspective. Therefore, in order to achieve this goal, a spatial statistical analysis was performed using two variables: the distance of the vacation homes from the nearest buildings of the local people, and the density of vacation homes in the place in which they are located, respectively. The results show four different patterns of second home development in relation to the local community: areas with a low density of vacation homes, located a short distance from the local peopleʼs buildings; areas with a high density of vacation homes, located a short distance from the local peopleʼs buildings; areas with a high density of vacation homes, located a great distance from the local peopleʼs buildings; areas with a low density of vacation homes, located a great distance from the local peopleʼs buildings. The results were interpreted primarily in accordance with the literature, and secondly based on direct field observations. The evidence suggests that the socio-cultural impacts of second home tourism are significantly influenced by the spatial context.

Keywords

• social impact
• cultural impact
• vacation homes
• spatial statistics analysis