Abstract
The study examined the motivations of the British buying a second home in France and more particularly in the “Cathar Country”. The research then focused on their economic impacts on the region, and their integration in the local community. Antagonism of the British second homeowners and the locals has been described in the previous research. Considering the traditional character of the region studied, it was expected that the relationships between temporary and secondary residents would be conflicting. In-depth interviews were conducted with British second homeowners as well as with permanent British residents. The research was completed by empirical research. The motivations to choose the French countryside are linked to stereotypes but also with deeper aspirations. Contrary to the hypothesis that was formulated the second homeowners have integrate with the local community without conflict, but only to some extent. Goujard (2000) notices that the second home phenomenon originated in the eighteenth century with British aristocrats. The first resorts were the French Riviera (Nice) and the Atlantic Coast (Biarritz) and the French Alps (Chamonix Mont Blanc). During the 20th century, the phenomenon spread to the middle classes, and over new French regions from Périgord to Luberon. Tourism was becoming a mass phenomenon so the appeal to the French countryside was spreading (Goujard, 2000).
