CREATIVE TOURISM

WHAT DO WE MEAN BY “CREATIVE TOURISM”?

“Tourism which offers visitors the opportunity to develop their creative potential through active participation in courses and learning experiences, which are characteristic of the holiday destination where they are taken.”
Greg Richards, Crispin Raymond in 2000

Painting « azulejos » in Portugal, upcycling the red carpet from the festival in Cannes, being a “silletero” for a day in Medellín, making your rose-based cosmetics in Bulgaria, participating in a wall-painting workshop in Valparaíso, practicing snow carving in Canada, learning the Carnival dances in Brazil, participating in a music master class in Morocco or Jamaica, or a cooking lesson in the Philippines, or even performing your concert in Barcelona…

… are among the endless travel interests of creative tourists and new generations of travelers.

Creative Tourism is considered the new generation of tourism, characterized by co-creating authentic experiences between locals and tourists.

This new way of discovering the genuine culture by experiencing it with the locals has been growing for the last decade. Today, tourists (better said travelers) need to feel involved in the destination and to co-create unique experiences with its people.

This paradigm shift implies managing tourism more creatively, to convert these new challenges into new opportunities and create a value chain for the territories. This is precisely the mission of the Creative Tourism Network®.

CREATIVE TOURISM: SUSTAINABLE VALUES & ETHICS

In the wake of the new economies #creativeeconomy #circulareconomy #experientialeconomy #orangeeconomy – Creative Tourism has positioned itself as THE new-generation tourism and a holistic solution for all kinds of destinations, raising several ethical considerations.

These include respect for local cultures, sustainability, economic impact, authenticity, and inclusivity, converting creative tourism into a lever for sustainable development which complies with most of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations 2030 Agenda.

“Creative tourism encourages local communities to diversify tourism offers, making small entrepreneurs more proactive as they become able to create new products without the need for much investment into tangible infrastructure but using its creativity to capture tourists’ interest.”
United Nation Development Program, UNDP, 2022.

Here are some ethical principles for creative tourism formulated by the Creative Tourism Network® to ensure meaningful experiences and a value chain for the territories.

1 Respect for Local Cultures

2 Authenticity

3 Inclusivity and Accessibility

4 Ethical Marketing

5 Learning and Exchange

6 Sustainability

WHY BET ON CREATIVE TOURISM?

10 Good reasons (and more) why destinations should bet on creative tourism:

OPPORTUNITY

ADAPTABILITY

SUSTAINABILITY

GOVERNANCE

CIRCULARITY

CULTURAL DIVERSITY

COMMUNITIES EMPOWERMENT

BALANCED TOURISM

ECOSYSTEM

NETWORKING

CREATIVITY

INTANGIBLE HERITAGE PRESERVATION

DIVERSIFICATION

“Creative tourism is a projection of a new tourism in which natural, cultural and personal ressources are not manipulated and exploited but valued and enriched”.
Jelincic and Zuvela, 2012

WHO ARE THE CREATIVE TOURISTS?

It is difficult to draw a portrait of those new tourists as they want to be “unique”.

Creative tourists are travelers interested in actively participating in cultural experiences and engaging with local communities during their trips. They are seeking more immersive and hands-on activities that allow them to learn about local traditions, arts, and crafts. Creative tourists are usually curious, open-minded, and interested in exploring the cultural heritage of their destinations. They seek authentic and unique experiences that go beyond typical tourist attractions.

They can be solos, couples, families, or travelers.

They can plan their trip themselves or contract professional services.
The nature of their creative activities can be educational (courses, workshops), can refer to the creation (art residency, co-creation with local artists), or the representation (performing concerts, acting, exhibiting).

Among the great diversity of creative tourists… we could meet

A traveler who participates in a cooking class to meet locals or to share experiences with his peers.
Choirs who travel to perform in each place they visit.
Groups of dancers, sketchers, or photography lovers, whose travel purpose is to practice their hobby.
Families that take part in a mosaic class during their stay, to experience the local traditions.
To name but a few …

Creative tourists in broad brush strokes

They share the same values and interests based on respectful human relationships, cultural exchanges, ethics, authenticity, lifelong learning, know-how, hands-on experiences, and DIY.
They want to experience the local culture by participating actively in artistic and creative activities.
They want to live experiences wherever they feel “like a local”.
They spend a substantial part of their budget on these experiences.
They like doing creative tourism in various contexts: urban, rural, mountain, islands, etc

One of the Creative Tourism Network® main missions is to identify and reach creative tourists, throughout their evolution, under all their forms and respective channels, both in B2B and B2C.