Second Homes in Spain: Transnational Mobilities and Family Capitalization

Topic, hypotheses: Spain has a big rate of second homes although it is not one of the wealthiest countries in Europe. There are two main scenes: the mediterranean coast, devoted to international tourists and retirees, and the inland areas, with a much more complex dynamic. We try to show how second residences in Spain indicate family strategies of residence and mobility. These are related to consume patterns as well as with reproductive conditions of households.

Methodology: Our research is focused on the relationship between second residences and trends of populations’ spatial distribution and mobility. A quantitative research has been conducted using data from population registers (Census and migration flows from the Spanish Statistical Bureau). The analysis combines cross-section tests, focusing on 2001, and a longitudinal enquiry (focusing on the period between 1986 and 2008).
Malaga illustrates the case of an international coastal destination developed by the real estate and the international touristic services sectors. We also examine the cases of two inland territories, Segovia (near Madrid) and Zamora, in order to contrast the role of second homes in two rural environments with different recent demographic trends.
Results: In the case of the Mediterranean coast, the development of international tourism led to a real estate boom based on the purchase of second homes by foreign people. Many Spanish families were also attracted to buy a second home, which would be used as an asset and as a resource for family strategies (retirement of the elderly, emancipation of youth), contributing territorial restructuring processes.

In the case of inland second homes, there is a great complexity based on the degree of tourism specialization and the strength of counteruban mobilities. Demographic dynamics make second homes to play either a residual function in a context of depopulation or a revitalising role for new developed areas.