Second homes in the Alpine Region

Second homes have grown quickly in numbers in the last decades and played an important role in the development of many municipalities in the Alpine Region. With an estimated number of 1’850’000, second homes account for more than 25% of the housing stock in the Alps, outnumbering by far the beds in the traditional accommodation sector. The highest numbers of second homes are located in the French and the Italian Alps, whereas the Eastern Alps only show small numbers – mainly due to regulatory differences. Apart from new buildings in amenity rich tourism resorts, outmigration has played a key role in creating homes used for leisure and tourism. In this sense, second homes can be interpreted as an indicator for an ongoing conversion process of the Alpine Region towards a space for leisure and tourism. Multilocal lifestyles can be considered a major opportunity for the Alps if new inhabitants are willing to take responsibility for both regions and their development