The object of this study is to provide an overall picture of holiday homes and owner profiles in order to have a better understanding for advising housing and tourism policies. In fact, nearly one in four homes is a holiday home in the Vendée (i.e 101 959 dwellings). On the coast, the holiday home rate varies from 37% in the area surrounding Les Sables d’Olonne to 66% for the Ile de Noirmoutier, generating a major impact on the housing market. In these areas where they are strongly present, holiday homes are sometimes criticized (creating tension on long terms rentals, the problem of “closed shutter” or “cold beds”), or sometimes considered as an opportunity for economic development by locally elected representatives.
