Developing creative tourism destinations

Could creative tourism contribute to the sustainable development of small Portuguese towns and rural areas? The CREATOUR project – Creative Tourism Destination Development in Small Towns and Rural Areas, is coordinated regionally by Alexandra Rodrigues Gonçalves, a researcher at the University of Algarve’s Research in Tourism, Sustainability and Well-being (CinTurs). The project was set up to answer this precise question, supporting cultural and creative organisations as they provide opportunities for creative tourism through an integrated network of 40 experiences spread over four regions.

Two-thirds of the world population will live in cities by 2050. This concentration will also be reflected in tourism, with travellers choosing to visit cities and coastal areas, a shift that will produce substantial economic, social and environmental impacts.

In Alexandra Rodrigues’s opinion, “By investing in creative tourism and providing alternative experiences, we hope to mitigate seasonality and revitalise local economies, as travellers nowadays are demonstrating that future trends lie in travelling to learn, interact with the local community and seek opportunities to cocreate.”

As the researcher explains, “Tourism experiences provided through partner entities are based on traditional crafts and local cuisine, history and heritage, allowing tourists to create unique, memorable experiences through interactions with the local community.” The idea behind the project is to diversify the options available to tourists while also valuing local traditions and culture, and creating the national creative tourism network.”

By introducing the use of new technologies, CREATOUR aims to provide contemporary creative experiences that link the past to the present and the future. The CREATOUR project is funded by the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) and the ERDF, through the COMPETE 2020 Joint Activities Programme (PAC), POR Lisbon and POR Algarve.

The project promotes interactive, humanscale creative tourism experiences founded in local cultural traditions, skills, knowledge and emerging artistic practices, as a means through which to contribute to the sustainable development of local communities across the country.

Creatour is a three-year national project (2016-2020) run by the University of Coimbra’s Centre for Social Studies (CES) to develop an integrated approach and put together a research agenda focused on creative tourism in small towns and rural areas in Portugal, combining multidisciplinary research with the development of a network of creative tourism pilot projects.

This tourism could be a significant contributor to reducing the economic and social inequalities produced by mass tourism, as well as to making towns and communities more sustainable.

CREATOUR invests in innovation based on local resources, working in networks to promote economic growth and sustainable consumption patterns. (Goals 8,9,10,11,15 and 17).

Alexandra Rodrigues Gonçalves has a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing; Postgraduate Degree in Cultural Heritage Law, a Master’s in Cultural Heritage Management, a PhD in Tourism and a researcher for the Research Centre for Tourism, Sustainability and Well-being (CinTurs) Centre for Research in Tourism, Sustainability and Well-being (CinTurs)