Challenges and Dilemmas of Creative Tourism in the 21st Century: How Can We Preserve It From the Massive Offer?

Abstract

Although there are not data to attest to the growth of various Creative Tourism experiences worldwide, the expectation of their increase is consistent with the strength of the nowadays markets and the strategies and changes needed to sustain this growth at the twenty-first century. So, it will be relevant to follow the new trends, changes and challenges that will shape the future path of Creative Tourism. In the context of the European Union, economic prosperity and well-being should respond to twin digital and green transitions that should prepare society to mitigate problems that arise from pandemic situations, such as the recent COVID-19. How do we follow new and future experiences, and how can institutions be positioned without jeopardising the massification of this segment? As with cultural tourism, this segment of creative initiatives can and should develop ways to avoid these possible mass derivations and adjust the preservation of its sustainability in the future. What strategy needs to be adapted so that future risks of vulgarisation will be avoided even within the possible new trends? What will be the role of the Southern European countries? This final chapter envisages promoting critical thinking about the role of Creative Tourism for local and regional development. The discussion focuses on how to prevent massification and how to respond to new challenges and saturated formulas and in accordance with the digital area of the twenty-first century. Also, it promotes some solutions based on short-term strategies to be outlined and on a TIN (Think, Integrate and Network) model, which can be replicated in many countries in Europe and in the rest of the world.

Citation

Remoaldo, P., Ribeiro, V., Alves, J., Scalabrini, E.B. and Lopes, H. (2022), "Challenges and Dilemmas of Creative Tourism in the 21st Century: How Can We Preserve It From the Massive Offer?", Remoaldo, P., Alves, J. and Ribeiro, V. (Ed.) Creative Tourism and Sustainable Territories, Emerald Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 223-236. https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-80262-681-020221014