People who own or have access to a holiday home are called “the invisible population” because they can be difficult to reach in the event of a crisis. Geomedia researchers at Karlstad University emphasise the importance of increasing the knowledge regarding how crisis communication from authorities needs to reach temporary populations.
Holiday homes are a significant part of Swedish tourism. There are approximately 660,000 holiday homes in Sweden, and about half of the population have access to one – either by owning one or using one that is owned by family or friends.
Ulrika Åkerlund, Senior Lecturer in Human Geography at Karlstad University, what are the communication challenges related to holiday homes?
– In general, owners of holiday homes in Sweden are relatively socially integrated in the areas where they’re located, but since it’s based on private citizens’ utilisation of their property, holiday home tourism is to a large extent invisible for the public systems. When working on contingencies related to societal crises, “the invisible population” presents both possibilities and challenges. The conditions for communication can for example be limited, and since most holiday homes are vacant long periods of time, it’s difficult for the owners to get an overview of the potential risks.
What recommendations do you present in your article?
– Community planning must take into consideration the challenges of the holiday home tourism to a larger extent – both in terms of the strain on the infrastructure, water and sewerage system, home care services, and so on, but also when it comes to the owners of holiday homes and their engagement in the local area, as well as their interaction with local authorities and the permanent population of the area. Better administrative systems are needed in order to get an overview of the scope and utilisation of the holiday homes, and local actors must be made aware of the presence of the holiday home tourists and their specific communication preferences.
Are there any suggestions for concrete communication efforts?
– There is a need for inclusive communication strategies aimed at the holiday home tourists, which benefit from their knowledge and experiences while they also receive better information about suitable adjustments and behaviour in crisis situations. By considering both a geographical and social context in different types of holiday home locations, we can increase our knowledge about different needs, possibilities and challenges. For example, a big challenge in rural areas could be internet connection and mobile phone reception. New digital and place-sensitive technology has the potential to inspire new perspectives and methods and strengthen the ongoing changes in crisis communication toward a more organic and collaboration-centred strategy.
In the spring of 2024, Ulrika Åkerlund, Sol Agin and Gijsbert Hoogendoorn (University of Johannesburg, SA) are conducting a survey study on holiday home owners' communication preferences, risk awareness and need for inclusive crisis communication. In the fall of 2024, it will be followed up with an interview study about how the public sector considers part-time residents in its crisis communication strategies. The project is partly financed by the Centre for Geomedia Studies.
The article ”Kriskommunikation och fritidshus - Kan vi nå den osynliga befolkningen?” (in English: “Crisis Communication and Holiday Homes – Can We Reach the Invisible Population?”) is written by Ulrika Åkerlund, Lena Grip, Lotta Braunerhielm, Linda Ryan Bengtsson and Fredrik Hoppstadius – who all work at Karlstad University – and was published in the magazine Plan, which is published by Föreningen för stadsplanering (The association for city planning).
