Transformation of second home tourism as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic – a case study of the Island of Krk, Croatia

The COVID-19 pandemic and preventive measures have caused dramatic changes to all levels of the diversified and interconnected tourism sector. In this regard, second home tourism has experienced two extremes in general: some second home destinations have faced a significant decrease of visitors due to restrictions in the mobility of the population, thus becoming deserted “ghost towns”, while others have recorded a more frequent or even permanent presence of second home owners and users, who perceived their secondary dwellings as a “safe heaven” for escape from the crowded life in urban areas. Important changes can be observed also in the use of second homes during the pandemic, as many users took advantage of the possibility of remote working while staying in a pleasant environment and enjoying the tourism facilities with a greater degree of privacy. In this way, the pandemic contributed to blurring of borders between work and holiday life of many of second home owners and users. In 2011 Census, there were 15, 429 second homes registered on the Island of Krk, which can therefore be considered as one of the leading Croatian and international hot spots of second home demand. The spatial distribution of second homes is varied throughout the settlements of the island, while their concentration in the total housing stock is somewhat bigger than the number of dwellings for permanent residence. In this research, the authors identified changes in patterns of second home use and perception of second homes users on the Island of Krk during the pandemic. They have also focused on potential differences in the second home use between the year 2020, when responses to the pandemic were still in initial phase, and the year 2021, when possibility of vaccination and EU digital COVID certificates were introduced and the mobility of visitors has increased.