Creative Tourism Dynamics: Connecting Travellers, Communities, Cultures and Places

Creative tourism has established itself as a sustainable alternative to mass tourism, in which the endogenous resources of each destination are particularly relevant. This type of tourism is increasingly positioning itself as an instrument to generate competitiveness, valorise heritage and promote sustainable practices, bringing income to small destinations and supporting communities. In recent years, the concept has been firmly established: the research on the subject increases and more articles are being published. Creative tourism is further implemented and amplifies its meaning and the ways in which it materialises. In short, it can be defined as a type of tourism that offers a genuine experience combining local culture immersion with learning and co-creation processes. Portugal was a pioneer in its innovative approach to creative tourism. Since 2016, a multidisciplinary team has been working in the development of an integrated approach and research agenda for creative tourism in small cities and rural areas in Portugal. CREATOUR: Creative Tourism Destination Development in Small Cities and Rural Areas supports collaborative research processes, combining theory and experimentation and aims to foster and enhance tourism offers building from local strengths, knowledge, skills, traditions and developing a sustainable creative tourism that is socially, culturally, environmentally and economically territorialized.