Creative Tourism – Experiencing a destination through creativity
© VAWAA
Break-even tourism shows many similarities to Creative Tourism. This concept was coined in the early 2000s and built on ‘the realisation that the creativity of both hosts and tourists is an important potential resource for the sustainable development of tourism’. In this article we’ll further investigate the merits of Creative Tourism – and, thus, traveling the break-even way.
‘Creative tourism is a relatively new niche that is being taken up by destinations around the world. The basic reason for this is the growing dissatisfaction with traditional models of tourism development […]. The creative tourism idea was first defined by [Professor Greg Richards and] Crispin Raymond […] in 2000, as: “Tourism which offers visitors the opportunity to develop their creative potential through active participation in learning experiences which are characteristic of the holiday destination where they are undertaken”.’
‘The growing demand for creative tourism underlines the need for people to express themselves and develop their creative potential. They also want to give meaning to their lives by doing something creative, rather than just consuming more things. Many tourists are also dissatisfied with the current offer of tourism products, which are often seen as standardised and inauthentic. Because creative experiences directly involve the visitor in the local culture and creativity of local people, it can provide much more engaging and satisfying tourism experiences.’
© VAWAA
‘Destinations are also recognising that traditional tourism development models have serious limitations, not least because most destinations seem to be offering more of the same. In order to distinguish themselves, destinations need to think about what is original and distinctive about the places that people visit. Very often this lies in the way in which people live their daily lives. This kind of distinctiveness is now sought after by tourists who want to ‘live like a local’. […].’
‘The first steps to developing creative tourism […] often lie in: (1) Identifying creative resources, (2) Finding creative ‘switchers’, or people who can link the local and global levels, (3) Developing platforms to link with creative people elsewhere, and (4) Creating events and other engaging content. In taking these steps the important point is to maintain the specificity and distinctiveness of the creative content. People can be creative anywhere, so they need a reason to come and be creative in your destination rather than anyone else’s.’
To maintain the authenticity of these experiences, relational resources will of course have to be managed. ‘[N]ot everybody will want to have a tourist sleeping on their couch and taking up room at the dinner table. At present these problems are limited, because there is a match between the desire of tourists to meet locals and the desire of many locals to meet new people from elsewhere.’
Looking for inspiration? The online platform Vacation with an Artist (VAWAA) allows travelers to book mini apprenticeships with master artists around the world – from calligraphy in Japan to street art in Argentina. This form of traveling provides a lifelong souvenir and an opportunity to grow.
