Second Home Tourism Discourses in Rural Areas: Identifying the Mental Perception of Urban Residents (Case Study: The Countryside Near Sabzevar City)

In this study, the second home tourism discourses are represented to identify the subjective perception of urban residents (rural idyll experiences) in rural areas. Qualitative approach and discourse analysis method was used to extract subjective perceptions of urban residents (rural idyll experiences). Accordingly, 38 semi-structured interviews were purposefully conducted with the owners of the second homes. The present study is carried out in the summer in the recreation surrounding of Sabzevar City known as Tabas area which includes Tabas, Sang Sefid, Razghand, Bazghand, and Divandar villages. The results showed that the culture of the expansion of second homes is based on rural idyll experiences and the ideal concepts of the rurality which correlates with the common triple discourse in the history of research and empirical studies around the world. The results suggest that the Sabzevar second home landscape is seen as (1) wilderness, (2) life at second homes imitates visions of traditional rural life, and (3) the environment is used for traditional consumptive and leisure activities. Other components of the village's past, such as agricultural production, contentment, and simplicity in construction, social solidarity, and collective actions should be added to the triple discourse, because they present a unique pattern of rural idyll images and should be considered. It is argued that the culture of the expansion of second homes is based on post-productivist and consumerist views in order to have fun and leisure time and enjoy the pristine nature and the calm and healthy environment of the village. The theoretical framework of this research includes the redevelopment of the concept of rurality and the various types of rural idyll experiences associated with it derived from the general literature and empirical studies in the field of tourism on second homes. A three-fold image of the second home countryside can be presented such that the second home landscape is seen as wilderness landscape, traditional way life and second home activities.