In Iceland, as well as in all other Nordic countries, second home tourism developed in to great extend.  Due to specific demographic and geographic conditions majority second homes in Iceland have been constructed in amenity rich areas close to Reykjavík, creating relatively large clusters with high density of purposely build recreational houses. As literature suggests, almost 50 year of steady development in those areas should have had direct and long-lasting impact on local economy as well as host society. To define how and in what extend did second home development influence life in host regions in Iceland, 3 municipalities have been chosen for ongoing case study. There, open interviews are being conducted with local stakeholders, regarding their perception and experience in changing environment. Collected qualitative data are being compared to economic results of selected companies to reveal possible differences between perception and economic reality. Preliminary results indicate big variance in perceptions of host community towards second home development in each area, suggesting need for broad debate about future regional planning.

Keywords:  second homes, Iceland, host, impact,