NORD+ 2015 Fieldcourse
Case-study Report: Häädemeeste Group
Hajime Nomura
Lisa Odland
Mari-Liis Alviste
Taavi Julkunen
May, 2015
Table of Contents
Introduction ............................................................................................................................................................ 2
Theoretical Framework ...................................................................................................................................... 4
Seasonality ............................................................................................................................................................... 4
Impacts of Seasonality in Tourism ................................................................................................................. 5
Involvement of second house people in local community ............................................................... 6
Methodology and Data ........................................................................................................................................ 7
Results and Analysis ............................................................................................................................................ 8
About the Case Study Area ........................................................................................................................... 8
Romantiline Rannatee (LEADER-project) ........................................................................................... 11
Treimani’s Second Houses and their Owners .................................................................................... 15
Societal Concerns .......................................................................................................................................... 19
Economic Concerns ...................................................................................................................................... 19
Environmental Concerns ............................................................................................................................ 20
Involvement of Seasonal Residents in Local Community .............................................................. 22
Conclusions .......................................................................................................................................................... 25
References ............................................................................................................................................................ 26
Appendix ............................................................................................................................................................... 28
1
Introduction
In modern times the interaction between rural and urban areas has increased
significantly in all aspects of mobility and movement. In rural areas this has created a
sectoral shift from a production-based economy towards a service-based economy. Young
people are leaving rural areas to find better jobs and educational opportunities in urban
centers. Thus, rural areas are left in a state of population decline and an aging demographic.
This means that these areas must search for new means of revenue; and here is where
tourism comes in to play an important role in the development of periphery regions. People
living in urban centers often want to enjoy their vacation time in peace and quiet amidst
nature or in an area accommodating recreational activities. Rural areas are able to provide
exactly that. Therefore, rural areas have started to promote themselves as tourist and second
house destinations in order to strengthen their economy (Hall et al. 2008:110, 175-176.)
These economic activities, however, often result in an unstable flow of revenue to the rural
areas. This unstable influx is caused by a phenomenon that is strictly related to tourism and
second houses: seasonality.
The seasonality phenomenon plays a significant role in the development of peripheral
communities. Seasonality, and namely the temporary residents associated with the
phenomenon, are strongly connected to the following matters of concerns: environmental
impacts, seasonal demand on local services, socio-cultural differences between locals and
second house owners, and land-use disputes. In addition to the above-mentioned concerns
resulting from the seasonality of second house users; the out-migration of young people
towards urban centers has contributed to a concentration of elderly people in rural
municipalities. This aging population demographic creates challenges for the rural
communities, and highlights the importance of seasonal residents. Moreover, the sparse
population of those inhabitants in rural areas further aggravates the problems regarding
local service provision.
The second house users who visit their house seasonally; and generally during the
summer months, have both positive and negative effects on rural regions. “They may
contribute to the local community life being even leaders of local actions, but may stop also
any development initiative because requesting peace and quiet”, (Raagmaa, 2015, p. 9). This
view provides us with insight that it is essential for rural municipalities to accommodate
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seasonal change in the demography, landscape, governance, and lastly, integration with
second house users. According to Marjavaara (2008, p. 12), “second house tourism has
primarily three types of impacts on a local municipality: economic, environmental, and
social”. On the one hand, second house owners may contribute to the municipality’s demand
for goods and services during the summer season. On the other hand, they contribute to the
reduced demand for local employment and services during the off-season. “The biggest
challenge is to find a balance and create positive synergies between permanent and
recreational residents’ interests”, (Kindel & Raagmaa, n.d.). Disputes often arise regarding
land-use in these areas rich in second houses. For example, the rush of public beach access
resulting in a large number of vehicles parking along the street, and house construction and
renovations by some second house owners which are disruptive to the local inhabitants.
“Signs of stronger land-use conflicts in some rural communities, primarily due to increased
pressure to build new second homes on more attractive land conflict with the land-use
priorities of the permanent rural population” (Rye, J.F., 2011).
Satisfying the needs of both permanent and seasonal residents involves cooperation,
negotiation, and especially requires specifying the factors of seasonality. In this study we
investigate the different factors of seasonality and their degree of impact on the demand on
local services and on environmental impacts. We utilize a combination of literary sources,
spatial data, and interviews in order to get an overview of the seasonality of Treimani in the
municipality of Häädemeeste, Estonia.
The research questions of the case-study are:
- How seasonality affects local businesses and services?
- How seasonality influences environmental issues?
The consideration of proper terminology for second/recreational/leisure/etc.
house/home user/resident is a difficult issue (Marcouiller & Chara, 2011). In this paper we
have chosen to use the term ‘second house user’ primarily. This is because the term enables
a broader approach by including also the people who are, for example, renting a second
house regularly even though they do not own it. The term can vary occasionally throughout
the paper depending on context. For example, all of the second house users we interviewed
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in Treimani actually owned the property. Thus, we call them second house owners, while at
the same time they are also users.
Theoretical Framework
Seasonality
Seasonal movement of people is a very ancient form of human spatial behavior.
People are looking for greener pastures and surviving uncomfortable seasons. Therefore,
people have continuously migrated from place to place. “Today’s migrations derive from
humankind’s earliest efforts better to sustain itself in an environment from which it needed
increasingly to extract nourishment and shelter (…)– for food, water and feed supplies.
Survival was paramount” (Richardson, 2007). Today’s seasonal movement, however, is far
more complex. “All seasonal phenomena are directly or indirectly caused by the seasonal
variation of natural conditions. Seasonal changes in social behavior depend on a wide range
of circumstances. These can be divided into structural (connected with the impact of the
external environment) and internal (actor-related) factors. Natural structural factors are
phenomena in the natural environment, such as changes in weather or length of day. Changes
in social structure involve the rules and practices governing society, such as the timing of
holidays, traditions, and outdoor activities. The seasonality of social behaviour is also
directly or indirectly caused by changes in the natural environment” (Baron, 1975; Butler,
2001; Granger, 2001). “Internal factors are regarded as processes taking place within
persons, that is, ‘biological clock', as a programmed reaction to factors from the external
environment” (Silm and Ahas, 2010).
Seasonality is one of the most distinctive features of tourism. These seasonal
fluctuations in tourism are caused by natural (climate, seasons) and institutionalised
(human actions, policies, school holidays) factors. Naturally, the seasonality of tourism
varies between different cultures, traditions and locations. The seasonality of tourism can
also vary in the amount of yearly peaks of tourists. Therefore, this phenomenon is dynamic
in nature even though it is often resistant to modification (Baum 2001:5-9). This means that
the impacts of seasonality on tourism must be recognized and adjusted for in order to
maximize the tourism potential in periphery regions.
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Impacts of Seasonality in Tourism
According to Marjavaara, (2008:20) the impact of second house tourism on the local
economy can be categorized into both positive and negative impacts. Positive impacts
include the creation of new jobs in the area, and opportunities for new business ventures.
Meanwhile, the negative impacts are the result of seasonality which inhibits the overall
development of an area since it creates an uneven distribution of income across the year.
Second house users can also bring new social and business contacts as well as intellectual
capital to the rural areas that are in dire need of them (Hall & Mûller, 2004:276). The impact
of second houses on environment well-being can also be seen from two sides. The seasonal
residents may cause conflicts with local residents regarding the use of environmental capital
such as fish resources and the use of environmentally-sensitive land. On the other hand,
second house users can promote environmental values and protection in an area that did not
previously recognise them (Marjavaara 2008:15). Marjavaara (2008:11) also notes that,
“local impacts of second home tourism vary from location to location”.
The biggest challenge for municipalities that rely on tourism is providing the services
and infrastructure for the seasonal peak times when population in the area can increase
significantly (Palang et al. 2007:175). Naturally, the local people benefit from the increase of
services in their area. These services, however, become underutilized during off-season
creating problems with maintaining full-time staff and making financial investing in the area
highly risky (Tuokkola-Liljavirta 2010:7). Increased demand for services related to seasonal
tourism can bring jobs to the area during off-season as well. An example of this is the
construction work done during the tourism off-season which are necessary in order to create
more space for the growing service sector (Palang et al. 2007:175; Marjavaara 2008:15). The
increase of services benefit the local community as a whole (Tuokkola-Liljavirta 2010:7). The
use of local services, however, is dependent on the distance between permanent residents,
seasonal residents, and the services themselves. This is, of course, because the second house
users would naturally use more services if it took them less time to reach them (Marjavaara,
2008:13).
Moreover, public and private sectors have various means to reduce the negative
impacts of seasonality. This can happen, for example, through land-use planning, better
utilization of housing through year-round renting of second houses, promoting off-season
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attractions, diversifying markets, strategic positioning in the market, and encouraging
domestic tourism in off-seasons (Tuokkola-Liljavirta, 2010:3). These means, however,
require co-operation from all parts of the community in order to avoid conflicts. This calls
for a leading party who will promote communication between the different stakeholders
within the region (Tuokkola-Liljavirta, 2010:7). The actions taken should be applied
according to the specialities of the subject area. Hall & Müller (2004), conclude that, “Second
house owners should not be left out of these decisions made since they have made a
committed financial decision to stay in the area”.
Involvement of second house people in local community
Several works of academic literature have been published which explore people’s
motivation for purchasing second houses in periphery areas. Kindel and Raagmaa (n.d.),
write that city people “are looking for more distant places to charge their batteries”. There
is an attractiveness to rural locations as a place for recreation and relaxation. Christaller
(1963, p.96), added that “remote regions economically benefit from factors which cannot be
utilized otherwise: high mountain chains, barren, rocky landscapes, heather, unproductive
dunes”. For these reasons, it is in the best interest of rural communities to welcome tourism
development as a strategy for strengthening the local economy. In reality; however, tourism
development is not always welcomed by the permanent residents of periphery regions. To
strengthen the connection between the permanent and seasonal residents within an area;
involvement in the local community is essential.
Second house users’ degree of involvement in the local community plays a role in
determining if they will be welcomed there. The situation becomes complicated when we
consider that second-house owners are often excluded from local decision making, and thus
results in them becoming transient members of the community (Hall & Müller, 2004). There
are often discrepancies between the rights of second house owners in theory and in practice.
For example; according to Rinne et al. (2014), second house owners are permitted to
participate in the land-use planning process as well as make appeals against proposed plans.
Yet, on the other hand, second house owners cannot serve as a representative of the
Communal District committee, the decision-making body responsible for facilities in rural
communities (Rinne et al., 2014). In some cases, second house people set up their own
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second-house committees in an attempt to influence the local decision-making. These
committees with an intention to increase involvement in the community, have unintended
consequences which actually result in further segregation from the permanent residents.
Methodology and Data
In an attempt to understand the positive and adverse effects of seasonality on our
target area, Treimani; the most appropriate method for conducting research was through
the case-study method. Within the case study method, we focused on personal interviews
with local inhabitants and second house users. Through interviewing these people we are
attempting to locate the correlation between the factors of seasonality, local inhabitants, and
temporary residents.
The background study used statistical and spatial data provided by our gatekeeper
Merle Looring. The statistical data includes key statistics about the municipality. Spatial data
consists of various maps from the area such as new land-use plans for the local beach and
the location of second houses in the Treimani area. Moreover, we utilized various websites
that provided information about Treimani. Originally we were supposed to create more
statistical and spatial data ourselves, however we did not have the required computer
software or programming to accommodate that. Thus, all maps in this report were either
received from our gatekeeper or taken from the internet. Therefore, we were not able to
modify them.
Fifteen interviews were conducted throughout the field-work. The interviews were
conducted primarily in Estonian and later translated by Mari-Liis Alviste. Two interviews
were also done in Finnish and then translated by Taavi Julkunen. The interviews with local
residents who were in Treimani at the time were all done face to face. Some three interviews
were performed as phone calls, and five done via email since many of the second house
people were out-of-town at the time. The interview-type used was semi-structured, with a
pre-established set of questions, but with flexibility for follow-up questions. Interview
questions can be found in the Appendix. Interviewees were set-up through the personal
connections of gatekeeper Merle Looring, as well as the local connections of group member
Mari-Liis Alviste. Interviewees can be categorized into two main groups: permanent
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residents and second house owners. Two additional interviews were conducted that could
not fit into these categories. Those were the interviews with the Mayor and the Vice-Mayor
of Häädemeeste who are full-time residents of the municipality, but not of Treimani
specifically. Both of these interviews were conducted in English.
One challenge to information collection was the presence of Mother’s Day on the only
weekend-day we were present in Treimani. This provided an obstacle to interviews because
people were less willing to volunteer their time on this day. The fact that we had only one
native Estonian speaker was an additional challenge because most residents in Treimani
were more comfortable doing an interview in Estonian. This made it difficult for all group
members to become involved in the interview process. One attempt was made for a phone
interview in English but the interviewee was reluctant to answer our questions and hung up
the phone. We assume that this was a language issue since the interviewee’s native language
was Finnish, although he was able to speak some English. Lastly, a challenge we faced was
that some email respondents replied to our emails after we had left the case study area and
had already began analyzing the data collected. This meant that we had to reconsider some
of the conclusions we had made.
The reason for focusing the study specifically on the village of Treimani within the
Häädemeeste Municipality was based off the suggestions from gatekeeper Merle Looring.
Originally she informed us that Ikla, Lemme, and Treimani are the three most popular second
house places in the region, thus those would be the favourable locations to focus on.
However, since last year’s NORD+ group focused their study on the villages of Lemme and
Kabli, we decided to focus solely on Treimani. The rationale behind this decision was so that
we could gain a more in-depth understanding of the current situation in a single village. This
decision allowed us to interview a wider variety of individuals from one concentrated area.
Results and Analysis
About the Case Study Area
The Häädemeeste Municipality is located in Pärnu County in the southernmost region
of Estonia’s Western coastline. The municipality covers an area of 390 square kilometers and
provides residence to 2608 permanent inhabitants (all numbers are as of 01/01/2015
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publications). Of Häädemeeste’s 390 square kilometers land area; 17 percent is arable land
and 58 percent is forested land. The Häädemeeste Municipality has over 30 kilometers of
shoreline running along the Gulf of Riga in the Baltic Sea. This study has focused on the village
of Treimani; one of the 21 villages that make up the whole Municipality of Häädemeeste.
Treimani is one of the southernmost villages in the municipality and is home to 211
permanent residents. Located just 6 kilometers from the Latvian border, 60 kilometers from
Pärnu, and 120 kilometers from Riga; Treimani is a romantic coastal village characterized by
beautiful sandy beaches, pine forests, sand dunes, and coastal wetlands.
Map of population density in Häädemeeste municipality, Picture 1.
Treimani, like many periphery regions of Estonia, is known as a village of elderly and
retired people, as well as a place with a “temporary buzz” of seasonal visitors. Most rural
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regions in the Baltic Countries have been facing a common situation of out-migration of
young people, resulting in an aging population. Economic activity in Treimani consists of one
fishery, small-scale farms, and tourism. The seasonality of economic activity is enormous
according to the vice mayor of Häädemeeste. Many of the local services relying on tourism
are only open during the summer season.
It was between the 1950’s and the 1960’s when people started coming to Treimani
from Tallinn and Pärnu as summer residents. In the 1970’s, Treimani gained huge
recognition as an attractive place for summer vacationers. The primary motivation for
visitors to Häädemeeste is the natural diversity and the escape from fast-paced urban life.
Only 4 of the 21 villages in Häädemeeste are large enough to have educational and cultural
institutions, grocery stores, and service companies. Treimani is one of these villages;
consisting of a 14-bed “holiday home”, a tavern transformed from the old postal station, a
Lutheran Church, an Orthodox Church, a cultural center, a small convenience store, and a
graveyard. Local Körtsi Pub also serves people during the summer season. Additionally,
Treimani is home to one small museum. The closest high school and health center reside 20
kilometers away in Häädemeeste. Children from Treimani go to elementary school in
Metsapoole village, located just 2 kilometers to the south. The bus service in Treimani is
sufficient with between 6 and 7 buses daily connecting the village to larger cities.
Treimani museum. Picture 2.
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While the coastal land of Häädemeeste is not considered optimal for agriculture
activity, it does provide promising conditions for livestock farming on its coastal meadows.
The Häädemeeste Coastal Meadow has received international attention for its rich bird
diversity and specifically for its Natterjack Toad which exists only in a few remaining
habitats. The Luitemaa Nature Reserve was established to help protect and restore the
coastal meadows that provide habitat for many bird and amphibian species. The
development of this project has received financial aid from the LIFE Programme of the
European Union with hopes that it will increase the tourism potential of the area. In
particular, the intention is to further develop the nature-tourism and recreation-tourism that
the Häädemeeste Municipality is known for.
Services in Treimani that are part of Romantiline Rannatee project. Picture 3.
Romantiline Rannatee (LEADER-project)
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Treimani is part of the “Romantiline Rannatee”, a project from the European Union
LEADER-program. The LEADER-program is an acronym for “Liason Entre Actions de
Développment de l’Économie Rurale”, which in English means, “Links between the rural
economy and development actions-program”. The Estonian term “Romantiline Rannatee”
translates to “Romantic Coastline”, with the project’s goal being to promote Pärnu county’s
250 kilometer long coastline for recreational use and tourism. The Coastline’s website
boasts, “the Romantic Coastline combines roads and paths, cultural, historical and native
values”, connecting 10 municipalities in the Pärnu county of Estonia. The project’s website
provides information about the accommodation, services, happenings, involved
municipalities, and vacation opportunities that exist along the coastline. Only one of the
vacation opportunities mentioned on the website is aimed at promoting off-season tourism
activities. The website also has information about all the services located in the
municipalities involved. These services and attractions are divided into two categories;
“Nature Tourism” and “Culture Tourism”, and indicated on separate maps accordingly. This
information also includes an interactive map made with Google Maps which pinpoints the
locations of the services individually. Finally, the Romantic Coastline website markets their
region as an idyllic place of natural beauty; “Every traveller can find a romantic track suitable
for his or her own tastes and interests somewhere along the Romantic Coastline.”
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Map of nature attractions that are involved in Romantic Coastline program. Romantic
Coastline area illustrated in green colour on the map. Picture 4.
13
Map of cultural attractions that are involved in Romantic Coastline program. Picture 5.
In an interview with Häädemeeste’s Vice-Mayor, he provided some insight into how
this LEADER-project has affected the economic development and the seasonality of
businesses within the municipality of Häädemeeste. Toomas Abel, Vice-Mayor of the
municipality, explains that the project was established out of the understanding that tourism
is not a business for just one municipality. Over time, local business owners and politicians
have come to understand that tourists want to see a larger overview of the region and not
just one single municipality. Local authorities took advantage of this opportunity they saw
and began to develop a plan that would attract visitors to the region for longer periods of
time. “Now, people are coming not for only one or two days but a week or even longer”,
explained Vice-Mayor Abel. The outcomes of this project are that the Western Coastline of
Estonia has become much more well-known domestically and internationally. Along with
this expanded recognition comes an opportunity to promote local businesses; a strategic
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marketing plan that is desperately needed in this economically struggling region.
Additionally, all of the regions’ summer festivals are highlighted on the project website.
These festivals, according to Abel, are the regions largest attraction for seasonal visitors.
Romantic Coastline project Logo, Picture 6.
One challenge with evaluating the success of the Romantic Coastline project is that
there is a lack of analytical data. “We have tried to assess the results of the LEADER project,
but we do not have any figures”. They do know that the influx of visitors from Russia and
Finland has declined in recent years, but there has been a dramatic increase in domestic
tourists due to this Romantic Coastline marketing project. One of the next activities that
Häädemeeste’s municipal government has proposed is to conduct a visitors study to obtain
the numerical data that is missing. Since the Romantic Coastline project is quite big already,
it requires a lot of financing from both the EU LEADER-project grants, as well as from local
sources. With so much money being invested into the project, people are asking if the project
has actually increased the number of visitors to the area. That question cannot be adequately
answered. In order to have continued support from the local residents, these figures must be
published.
Treimani’s Second Houses and their Owners
According to municipality (2015) data, a total of 445 second houses reside in the
whole Häädemeeste Municipality. Out of those, 28 reside in Treimani making up 6.3 percent
of the total amount. Twenty-seven of the second house owners are from Estonia and one
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owner is from Espoo, Finland. The Estonian owners are registered in Pärnu county (9
persons), Tallinn/Harju county (7), Tartu county (5), Viljandi county (4) and Põlva county
(2). Thirteen of the second house owners have a flathouse as their primary house and the
remaining 15 live in private houses.
For this report we have interviewed 7 second house owners from the Treimani area.
Two of them were finnish and five were Estonian. In five cases, the owners have had access
to the second house for more than 10 years. In one case the second house was bought just
one year ago. One person who identified as a second house owner is actually living in
Treimani but most of her time is spent travelling around the world with her job as a
salesperson. She does not, therefore, consider herself to be a local person in Treimani. The
age of second house owners ranged from 32 to 75. Four of the interviewed people were
female and three were male. Two of the owners were artists by profession, while the
remaining five were all managers in either the private or the public sector.
Location of Häädemeeste’s second house owner’s primary residence, including foreign second
house owners. Picture 7.
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Locations of second houses in Treimani-Ikla area. Treimani village is the grey area right in the
middle of the map and Ikla is near the Latvian border in the bottom of the map. Picture 8.
The Finnish-owned second house in Treimani is a flathouse consisting of 18
apartments. The house is called Kultaranta and it is located nearby the beach. It is inhabited
by 17 Finnish families who own an apartment within the building as their second house. The
Kultaranta estate has its own administration and housekeeper. They also have their own
website where it is possible to find technical information about the building and information
about the local services and environment. Owners of the apartments are also permitted to
rent them out. The Kultaranta is marketed as a communal place for Finnish people wanting
to own a second house. According to the responses from our interviewee in Kultaranta, this
17
statement holds true. The residents from Kultaranta have get-togethers mainly during
midsummer’s eve and spring cleaning.
Another Finnish second house owner has his property in Metsäpoole, a small village
just 2 kilometers south of Treimani. This house in Metsäpoole’s used to be inhabited yearround but it is now used for summertime visits only. The Finns use their second houses
according to their vacation time during the summer. Midsummer, general summer, and
Christmas were mentioned as the times that both Estonian and Finnish people come to their
second houses in Treimani. The visits are usually made together with friends and families.
Weather was not an ultimate deciding factor for the timing of visits, although it was
sometimes mentioned as a consideration.
People in the yard of Kultaranta during Midsummer’s eve. Picture 9.
Neither of the Finnish interviewees had previous ties to Treimani. Both of them had
found their place through second house real-estate advertising in Finnish newspapers. On
the contrary, three Estonian second house owners have previous family ties to their second
houses. The family traditions date back to the 1950-60’s. One Estonian second house owner
had also found Treimani through an advertisement. Before buying their own place in
Treimani, these residents had used Tartu University second house in nearby village called
Kabli. One second house owner was actually registered in Häädemeeste currently. Moreover,
one Estonian second house owner had lived his adolescent years in Treimani and had later
moved out.
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Societal Concerns
According to our interviews with permanent and temporary residents in Treimani;
the two major societal concerns are the aging population and unemployment. These two
concerns were mentioned by all of the locals. A local inhabitant who has resided in Treimani
for over 30 years explained that, “Young people move away to cities. Here is no jobs so they
won’t come back here. (...) Some parents bring their children to where they can find work,
and now mostly pensioners live here”. This comment describes two aspects of demographic
concern; (1) as Treimani does not have any high school, students who have finished their
secondary school must go to cities to further their education. (2) This accelerates the aging
population demographic. According to Magnus Möttus, the Mayor of Häädemeeste, “these
problems are the same as in all rural communities; the people go to bigger towns. Many
people go outside of Estonia; go to have a better job and so on. It’s a problem around the
world, not just here”. Today, Häädemeeste’s inhabitants aged 65 and up consist of 24.1 per
cent of the total population. That is significantly higher than the national proportion, which
is 18.7 percent over the age of 65. As for inhabitants under the age of 5; they make up 3.6 per
cent of the total population (Häädemeeste municipality, 2015). This data shows that the
population of Häädemeeste is elderly. This aging population creates even more difficulty for
coping with the seasonal demand of services and of the labour force.
Economic Concerns
Once again, we will consider how the out-migration of younger people result in a total
decline in population density, and an aging population demographic. This means a lack in
demand of daily necessities such as groceries and public services. The lack of consumption
weakens the possibilities for businesses to expand services in the municipality which
consequently will reduce of the number of job vacancies. Today, one of the main sources of
income for Treimani is in the tourism industry, however, the lack of income in winter time
has been a considerable challenge: with most cultural events taking place during the
summer, and just one tourist attraction in operation during the off- season, as mentioned
earlier. One local respondent mentioned that local people suffering from unemployment
usually do nothing; there is a sense of hopelessness involved in the weak local economy.
Meanwhile, some people just have temporary or seasonal jobs. Take Lepanina hotel, located
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in the nearby village of Kabli, for example; approximately 30 employees are working in the
hotel during the summer months. Then, the hotel shuts down when the summer is over, from
September to April, and during that time only four or five staff members remain employed
for security and heating of the building.
According to, Magnus Möttus, Mayor of Häädemeeste, the newly constructed highway
E67, also known as “Via Baltica”, has had both positive and negative effects on the
municipality. On the one hand, “The Via Baltica has had 95 percent positive effects on tourism
because of good connection - good quality road; because of Via Baltica, this old road is not so
crowded with cars - a very nice road to ride your bicycle. (...) I can’t imagine all the traffic
coming through Häädemeeste”, but at the same time, the Mayor commented that, “maybe we
must attract more people now. The local people who know about the beaches are coming
here anyways; but maybe the tourists who don’t know- those are the people we need to
attract.” These pros and cons were also mentioned by local inhabitants: “the Via Baltica is a
good thing, so there is no traffic here anymore... but if there are no vehicles, there are no
people visiting”. As the Mayor mentioned, the good connection to the rural regions does not
necessarily result in positive outcomes for the tourism industry. Without some sort of
regional appeal and marketing strategies, the Via Baltica would backfire on rural regions’
tourism industries. The awareness of this concern has lead to the development of the
“Romantic Coastline” LEADER project discussed earlier.
Environmental Concerns
The biggest environmental issues in Treimani are concerning the beach areas. People
come to this area with the intention of enjoying the clean coastal nature and magnificent
shorelines. One of the main problems, as mentioned by nearly all of our interviewees, was
the trash problem caused by summer visitors around the beach areas. Additionally, the noise
caused by summer events and rowdy campers has troubled both local people and second
house users. One second house owner also mentioned that ATVs (All Terrain Vehicle) are
causing harm to the environment in the moorlands and beachsides. Häädemeeste’s Mayor
mentioned that only a small minority of the summer visitors are causing the noise and
littering, but they ruin it for everyone else. Local people often tolerate these annoyances
caused by summer visitors because at the same time as they are making noise and trash, they
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are also bringing much-needed money to the area. The second house owners, as it seems, are
actually less tolerating of these issues because they came to Treimani to find peace and
relaxation.
One interviewee mentioned their most significant environmental concern was that
the fishery is polluting the sea. As previously mentioned, the fishery has caused troubles to
Kultaranta residents with the smoke coming from fishery’s pipe directly towards their
residence. A second concern was when the fishery began burying their fish waste in the
beach. Then after a while, seagulls discovered the fish and gathered in masses near
Kultaranta. They started making a mess in the area. Our interviewee from Kultaranta made
a complaint to the municipality administration regarding both occurrences and both times
they were responded to and the fishery was forced to change its ways. What we found
interesting was the fact that while the fishery is one of the main sources of employment and
economic activity in Treimani, it is also a source of hardships for the local environment and
people.
What has been done then? Or what should be done? The municipality has recently
developed a new beach land-use plan in order to make the land use more reasonable in the
beach area. Many of the second house users also take part in a clean-up event on the beach
voluntarily. Second house users tend to take good care of their environment since they enjoy
spending time in their second homes, usually surrounded by a natural environment. Another
popular suggestion was to increase the amount of trash cans near the beach areas. It’s a
simple solution to the problem. Every spring the municipality also hosts beach clean-up days
in addition to those organized by the second house users themselves. Local residents and
second house people have also made contact with municipal authorities to let them know
how serious the littering problem is. Many people have suggested that the summer campers
should be directed to proper camping areas and try to keep them off the beach.
The Mayor of the Häädemeeste stated that the municipality does not have a parking
problem near the beaches except during the summer weekends at the most popular beach
locations. This was contradictory to the local resident’s requests for more parking spots to
direct people to certain areas and away from littering the whole beach area. The biggest
obstacle to solving these problems is of course the limited financial capacity. The
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municipality does not have sufficient funding so even small changes such as purchasing more
trash bins to place at camping sites is a more difficult process than one would imagine.
Beach land-use plan for Treimani beach area. Picture 10.
All in all, seasonality plays a significant role in all three types of impacts in the
Treimani area. Economic impacts are positive during the summer season and negative
during the off-season. The social impacts are related to demographic structures and an
unstable economy which causes young people to leave. Environmental impacts also tend to
increase during the summer when vacationers rush to their second houses and the beach
areas. To assess the problems and conflicts caused by seasonality, the temporary and
permanent residents of Treimani should work together. This is where communication and
involvement between different stakeholders comes into play.
Involvement of Seasonal Residents in Local Community
During the interviews, participants were asked a number of questions relating to
their involvement in the local community. Questions ranged from involvement in local
happenings, involvement in local politics and decision making, and usage of local businesses
and services. Of the seven interviewees who identified as second house users, every
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respondent except one stated that they involve themselves in local events as much as
possible. While the primary reason for visiting their second house is to relax or get away
from city-life; the seasonal residents explained that involving themselves in the local
community was important to them. The most common reasoning for not attending local
events was because of time-restrictions or preoccupations at their primary place of
residence. One respondent answered that, “Treimani is a resting and self-charging place for
me; social life is not primary.” The general consensus across interviewees was that second
house users enjoy participating in the many celebrations happening in Treimani such as the
Mid-Summer Celebration, art exhibitions and concerts in the cultural house, the Treimani
Song Day, Fishermen's Day, and the Sunset Festival. One comment from the permanent
residents was that there is not enough event taking place during the winter months.
In terms of involvement in decision making and local politics, the responses from
interviewees were more diverse. This is an issue that is more complicated than simple
involvement in local events. For example, one second house user stated plain and simply that
they do not want to take part in the decision making. Three others explained that there is no
problem regarding communication with the municipality administration. The other three
said that they have no need to be involved with the local decision-making process. In our
interview with Häädemeeste’s Vice-Mayor Toomas Abel, we learned about one municipality
consultation where second house owners were intentionally excluded.
Abel described that there are two types of summer visitors to their regions. The first
being, “quiet, clean, nature people who enjoy having no people around”, and the second
being, “tourists wanting events, activities, loud music, etc”. He hesitated to label them
conflicts, but rather misunderstandings between the local residents and those who come to
Treimani seasonally. Not all of them, but some of them complain about the Sunset Festival,
for example, insisting they want silence for their restful vacations. Meanwhile, the local
people want to make money during the festival. And so the municipality is forced to take
sides; the local entrepreneurs, or summer residents. Both valuable assets to the rural
community, but it’s hard to please both simultaneously. Recently, there were big discussions
about the beach events planned for July. There was a public consultation held in the police
station, with police officials, event organizers, and interested residents involved in the
conversation. When asked if any second house owners were involved in this discussion, Abel
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stated that they were not invited to these consultations. The intention is to foster a good
relationship between neighbours, and they had a different idea for satisfying the seasonal
residents. Their proposal was to give those second house people free tickets to the Sunset
Festival and hope that this gesture will help to create a harmonious existence between
parties. This was an attempt by the municipality to find a solution. The other option the ViceMayor saw was to stop the festival completely; something that would not be a smart move
economically for Häädemeeste. This example illustrates that the municipality is actively
searching for solutions to any conflicts, but may be neglecting to involve all neighbours in
the decision-making process.
On two separate occasions, a Finnish second house user in Treimani went to the
municipality with two different complaints. The first complaint was regarding the smoke
outputs from the nearby fishery. This resident suggested that if the pipes were heightened,
the problem of the smoke blowing directly into her building would be solved. The
municipality responded timely to fix the problem. The second occasion was again a
complaint about the fishery. The seasonal residents seem to understand that this fishery is a
significant contributor to keeping the economy of Treimani alive. This Finnish second house
user was bothered by the fish waste that was being buried into the sand of their nearby
beach. The result of this was an abundance of seagulls flocking to feast on the fish waste and
making a mess in the area. Again, the municipality cooperated with her requests and thus
she stated, “If you have something to say; say it.” This opinion is shared by other seasonal
residents as well who say that they always receive sufficient information from the
municipality. Yet many temporary residents understand their role as a visitor to the
community, and don’t feel it is their place to be involved in the decision-making. “Decisionmaking rights should firstly be in the hands of the locals”, stated one seasonal resident.
Another second house user explained, “I have no reason to become involved”. Through the
decision-making process, it seems there is only harmony between second house users and
permanent residents in Treimani.
The last topic of discussion regarding involvement in the local community was
around the usage of local businesses and services. Interestingly, nearly all residents, both
permanent and part-time, stated that they prefer to buy their fish locally from the fishermen.
Answering the question about whether or not residents do their grocery shopping locally or
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otherwise, most respondents said they prefer to support the local store, however the only
obstacle is the higher prices than at a larger store in Pärnu, for example. One interesting
observation was that the second house users were more eager to support the local grocery
store than the local residents. The rationale behind this is likely due to the fact that second
house owners would generally have a higher disposable income than those permanent
residents of Treimani. For this reason, second house owners have a very positive effect on
the local economy of periphery areas. Other local services used frequently by both second
house users and permanent residents include the Häädemeeste Library, the postal service,
the restaurant in Lepanina Hotel, and small entrepreneur services. The most frequently
mentioned local business used by the residents, however, was the purchasing of fish from
the local fishermen.
Conclusions
We have examined the relation between seasonality and local service provisions in rural
areas, the result shows that seasonality has significant impacts on the development of the
local economy. The seasonality phenomenon is a big problem for the municipality of
Häädemeeste and the Treimani area, but and these is currently not much that can be done to
make it better. Winter tourism is hard to promote since Treimani is an area dominated by
summer recreation activities. This means that marketing winter tourism is not likely a viable
way to reduce the effects of seasonality in the area. Local authorities and marketing peoples
accelerate this seasonality by promoting second house tourism and the intensive marketing
of summer tourism in the region. None-the-less, the promotion of second houses and
summer activities is still an important economic activity for the area. The advertising and
promoting done through the Romantic Coastline LEADER project has had a positive impact
on tourism in Häädameeste and Treimani.
The only effective way to reduce seasonality would be through the establishment of thriving
new businesses in rural areas. This is not something that can be developed on command.
Second house users may be part of the solution by bringing their connections, wealth and
social capital to the rural area. The challenge is still huge for rural municipalities such as
Häädemeeste because the young inhabitants are moving to larger cities for better
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opportunities to study and work. While there is mostly harmony between summer residents
and permanent residents in Treimani; there are of course some minor issues to address. The
social, economic, and environmental concerns regarding seasonality are the most significant
problems devastating the village of Treimani as both an area for tourism and as a place of
permanent residence.
References
Baron, R. (1975). Seasonality in tourism. London: Economist Intelligence Unit.
Butler, R., (2001). Seasonality in tourism: issues and implications, in Seasonality in Tourism
Eds T Baum. S Lundtrop. (Pergamon, London). pp. 5 - 2
Christaller, W. (1963). Some considerations of tourism location in Europe. Papers of the
Regional Science Association, 12, 95-105.
Granger, C. (2001). Seasonality: causation, interpretation, and implications. Econometrics, 1,
pp. 121 – 146.
Hall, C. & Müller, D. (2004). The Future of Second Home Tourism. In Hall C. M. & D. K. Müller
(eds.), Tourism, Mobility and Second Homes: Between Elite Landscape and Common Ground.
UK: Clevedon, USA: NY, Canada: Ontario: Channel view publications.
Hall, C., Müller, D., & Saarinen, J. (2008). Nordic Tourism: Issues and Cases. Channel View
Publications.
Häädemeeste municipality (2015). Municipal population data 2015. Not public data.
Kindel, G. & Raagmaa, G. (n.d.). Recreational home owners in leadership and governance of
peripheral recreational communities.
Marcouillier, W. D. & Chraca A. (2011). Recreational homes, Amenities, and their Gateway
Communities: A Summary of Extant Knowledge for Planning and Public Policy. Paper written
for presentation at the World Planning Schools Congress July 5-8, 2011, Perth, Australia.
Marjavaara, R. (2008). Second home tourism; Root to displacement in Sweden? Ph.D. Thesis.
GERUM 2008:1.
Palang, H., Sooväli H. & Printsmann A.. (2007). Seasonal Landscapes. Dordrecht, The
Netherlands: Springer.
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Raagmaa, G. (2015). Second house owner's involvement in local community and political life?,
Presentation, Tartu, Estonia.
Rinne, A., Paloniemi, R., Tuulentie, S., & Kietäväinen, A. (2014). Participation of second-home
users in local planning and decision-making - a study of three cottage-rich locations in Finland.
Journal of Policy Research in Tourism, Leisure and Events.
Rye, J.F. (2011). Conflicts and contestations. Rural populations’ perspectives on the second
homes phenomenon. Journal of Rural Studies 27 (2011) 263e274.
Silm, S., & Ahas, R. (2010). The seasonal variability of population in Estonian municipalities.
Environ. Plann. A, 42(10), 2527-2546. doi:10.1068/a43139
Tuokkola-Liljavirta et al. (2010). The challenge: Sustainable Tourism Destination –
combining tourist and land-use perspectives (PDF). In Conference Proceedings, SB10, Espoo,
22.-24.9.2010.
Internet sources:
Romantiline Rannatee/Romantic Coastline. <http://www.rannatee.ee/parnu-estonia> Read
12.5.2015
Picture sources:
Picture 1. Map of population density in Häädemeeste municipality. Merle Looring. 2015.
Picture 2. Treimani museum. The picture taken by author 2015.
Picture 3. Services in Treimani. GoogleMaps. 2015.
Picture 4. Map of nature attractions that are involved in Romantic Coastline program.
Romantic Coastline area illustrated in green colour on the map. Romantic Costal line 2015.
Picture 5. Map of cultural attractions that are involved in Romantic Coastline program.
Romantic Costal line 2015.
Picture 6. Romantic Coastline project Logo. Romantic Costal line 2015.
Picture 7. Location of Häädemeeste’s second house owner’s primary residence, including
foreign second house owners. Merle Looring. 2015.
Picture 8. Locations of second houses in Treimani-Ikla area. Merle Looring. 2015.
Picture 9. Midsummer’s eve in Kultaranta. Lomahuoneistot Pärnumaalla.
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Picture 10. Beach land-use plan for Treimani. Kootplaan.ee.
Appendix
Interviewee Names List (15 total)
Seasonal Residents - 7 total
Anonymous (Female, 61, Estonian)
Inese Käspri (Female, 54, Latvian)
Kersti Haidak (Female, 63, Estonian)
Maikki Haapala (Male, 70, Finnish)
Raimo Lehtinen (Male, 75, Finnish)
Silver Sepp (Male, 32, Estonian)
Sten Weidebaum (Male, 41, Estonian)
Permanent Residents - 6 total
Ago ______ (Male, Estonian)
Ants Link (Male, 65-70, Estonian)
Ilse Mägi (Female, 71, Estonian)
Reet Lank (Female, 47, Estonian)
Reet Ristkok (Female, 40, Estonian)
Tiia & Viljar Soomre (Female 61, Male 56, Estonian)
Municipal Politicians - 2 total
Magnus Mōttus (Male, 39, Estonian)
Toomas Abel (Male, 53, Estonian)
Questionnaire:
General:
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Male/Female?
Age?
Nationality?
Profession?
Treimani:
Are you local resident or second house owner?
How did you discover Treimani?
Do you have ties to this place?
Are you registered here?
Would you be willing to register here?
Second houses:
When do you usually come here?
- for how long?
- with who?
Do you use local services businesses?
Do you use other services elsewhere when you’re here?
- Why?
- Why not in Treimani?
Local involvement:
Do you attend local happenings?
How do you feel about cottagers?
Do you have any problems here?
- When?
- How?
Have you had any conflicts here?
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-
How were they solved?
Do you have any environmental concern (such as the preservation of coastal beauty)?
What are your ideas about solving the problems?
Do you know/have any means of taking part in the decision making?
- Would you even want to take part?
Have you taken part in the events organized in the area?
- What events?
- Do you co-operate with other people in the area for these events?
- What kind of experiences do you have from the co-operation?
Have you done anything to fix problems in the area?
- Was it successful?
Future:
What would you recommend to get more people to Treimani for off-season?
Would you want more houses/services here?
- Why/Why not?
Do you want the beach to be improved somehow?
- Infrastructure?
If you have anything else to suggest or add, please do so.
Some additional questions asked towards specific people:
Seasonal change of the hotel employees/staff numbers.
What do summer employees do during the winter?
At what age do the young people usually move out of Treimani?
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