Abstract
Second home tourism is a global phenomenon and is an important form of tourism throughout the world. Indeed, increased mobility owing to enhanced transport methods, routes and frequency, additional leisure time and improved affordability has led to an increase in second home ownership. As a result, second home tourism has emerged as an important area of research due to the intersection between tourism and migration that has been encouraged by new forms of mobility and accessibility. Attractive areas with recreational amenities and available land have become prime locations for investors and subsequently new second home developments. Often these locations are in environmentally sensitive areas, along coastal, riverfront and mountainous areas, as these provide natural and scenic landscapes, and a sense of peace.
While the social and economic aspects of second homes have been studied extensively, research on the environmental impacts of second home tourism remains comparatively limited. This study focused on the environmental impacts associated with second home tourism in the coastal towns of Zinkwazi, greater Ballito, greater Umhlanga and Durban in the KwaZulu-Natal North Coast of South Africa. These areas have experienced exponential second home tourism growth over the last two decades. The study methodology is based on three empirical components which includes the development of an extensive systematic literature review, compiling and undertaking a questionnaire directed at second home owners, and qualitative interviews with ward councillors and estate management. The primary data obtained through the empirical endeavour were analysed and linked to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG’s) to assess the impacts and to discuss the findings of this study. The main finding was that second homes in the study area do have several impacts on the environment and does contribute towards carbon emissions. Accordingly, many locations within the study area are located within proximity to water bodies, and within the coastal belt and sensitive biodiversity areas. The key potential environmental impacts identified include surface water disturbances, coastal degradation, removal of indigenous vegetation, spread of alien vegetation, destruction of fauna habitats, soil and groundwater pollution, increased greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, resource over-consumption, waste generation, and socio-economic impacts (positive and negative). These environmental impacts can be managed through adequate implementation of mitigation measures by means of management plans. Furthermore, the study highlighted the academic contribution made by the study in contributing towards the research on environmental impacts of second homes, in the Global South. This is due to the scant scholarly attention on the environmental aspects of
second homes, particularly within the Global South. The study further identified future research avenues to be considered because of this research.