Perspectives on second homes, climate change and tourism in South Africa

Second homes tourism comprises an important component of the discourse in tourism geographies, since its re-emergence in the literature in the late 1990s. Second homes are often situated in amenity-rich areas within pristine natural environments along coastal areas, river banks and lakes. However, these 'untouched' environments within remote rural municipalities are often characterised by limited financial capital and thus a weakened adaptive capacity to adapt to the increasing threats of sea level rise, flooding, drought and storms, which are projected to amplify in severity and frequency under climate change. Second homes often involve large onceoff capital investments, which coupled with their permanent physical location heightens the climate change vulnerability of the owners. We therefore argue that second homes tourism is particularly vulnerable to the threats of climate change. This article considers the potential impact of climate change on second homes in a variety of localities in South Africa, through a critical integration of the existing literature on both second homes and climate change and tourism for South Africa. Through outlining the key areas of concern, the researcjers map out possible adaptation strategies for second home owners.