20 FINNISH JOURNAL OF TOURISM RESEARCH 16:2/2020 RESEARCH NOTE Second homes during corona - safe or unsafe haven and for whom? Refections from researchers around the world Kat Pitkänen, Finnish Environment Insttute Olga Hannonen, University of Eastern Finland Stefania Toso, University of Milan Bicocca Nick Gallent, University College London Iqbal Hamiduddin, University College London Greg Halseth, University of Britsh Columbia C. Michael Hall, University of Canterbury Dieter K. Müller, Umeå University Andrey Treivish, Insttute of Geography, Russian Academy of Sciences Tatana Nefedova, Insttute of Geography, Russian Academy of Sciences e COVID-19 pandemic has rapidly slowed down, reduced, and changed the flows of tourism mobilities. While many national borders have been closed and/or regulated, the main emphasis has been on domestic travelling and tourism. Second homes are a major form of domestic tourism in many countries, especially the Nor- dic countries, Southern Europe, Russia, North America, Australia, and New Zealand where a signifcant proportion of people have access to a second home, often located in rural areas. Soon after the outbreak of the pandemic and the closure of schools, offces, shops, and restaurants, people started to flee to their second homes in search for a safer and more meaningful place for isolation. e city dwellers’ rural exodus, and the role of second homes during the pandemic, appeared on the public agenda in many countries. e purpose of second homes as a place for recreation quickly changed into serving the function of pandemic shelters. Whereas the cottage, mökki, stuga, or dacha usually attract public attention on the pages of lifestyle magazines or idyllic summery reports of country living, this time second homes sud- denly appeared in the offcial statements of governments and ministers, and on the front pages of newspapers. Recommendations to visit, or not to visit, second homes were set against ques- tions about the health risk second homes may pose and who has the right to be in rural areas. htps://doi.org/10.33351/mt.97559