Next Article in Journal
Critical Infrastructures in Informal Settlements of Maputo City, Mozambique: The Importance of Interdependencies for Interventions Prioritization
Previous Article in Journal
Beyond Leakage: Non-Revenue Water Loss and Economic Sustainability
 
 
Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
Journals
Urban Science
Volume 8
Issue 4
10.3390/urbansci8040196
urbansci-logo
Submit to this Journal Review for this Journal Propose a Special Issue
► Article Menu

Article Menu

share Share announcement Help format_quote Cite question_answer Discuss in SciProfiles
first_page
settings
Order Article Reprints
Font Type:
Arial Georgia Verdana
Font Size:
Aa Aa Aa
Line Spacing:
Column Width:
Background:
Article

Multidimensional Benefits of Creative Tourism: A Network Approach

by
Rui Miguel Ferreira Carvalho
1,2,3,*,
Carlos Costa
3 and
Ana Maria Ferreira
4
1
Higher School of Education and Social Sciences, Polytechnic University of Portalegre, 7300-110 Portalegre, Portugal
2
ISLA-Santarém Higher Institute of Management and Administration, 2000-241 Santarém, Portugal
3
Research Unit on Governance, Competitiveness and Public Policies (GOVCOPP), DEGEIT, University of Aveiro, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal
4
CIDEHUS-Interdisciplinary Centre for History, Culture and Societies, University of Évora, 7000-645 Évora, Portugal
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Urban Sci. 2024, 8(4), 196; https://doi.org/10.3390/urbansci8040196
Submission received: 5 September 2024 / Revised: 21 October 2024 / Accepted: 30 October 2024 / Published: 1 November 2024
Browse Figures
Versions Notes

Abstract

:
As creative tourism consolidates both as an autonomous research area and a valid sustainable form of tourism based on learning, active participation, co-creation, creative self-expression, and local community engagement, its economic models have evolved from simple creative activities to complex territorial and technological-based networks, boosting the entrepreneurship of creative communities in tourism. Seen as a means of territorial development strategy through tourism, creative networks can stem from private partnerships, the public sector, the local community, or third sector organisations. Focusing on a case study approach, this research adopts a multidimensional framework with the goal of analysing the benefits of creative tourism towards a creative tourism network. Using a quantitative approach through Likert scale statements of five items, this research aimed to study the creative supply and demand linked to a creative tourism network. Based on the principles and benefits of creative tourism and the goals of the creative network, the following dimensions were analysed: job creation; production and commerce of creative products; safeguarding of tangible and intangible heritage; development of social capital between network agents; creative and innovative images of the region; the active role of the local community in the network; and the consumption profile of the creative tourist through the network. The main conclusions of the study point to the network boosting local job creation and preserving local traditions but struggling to expand sales and increase tourist stays. While it enhances the region’s image, there is a need for stronger collaboration and community engagement.

1. Introduction

An ever-growing research rate has boosted publications about creative tourism in recent years [1,2], establishing it as an independent field in tourism research [3,4,5]. It has been applied to several destinations [6,7] because of its regenerative and sustainable role in territorial development based on the (re)valorisation of the arts, forming a unique territorial-based strategy for tourism destinations [8,9]. This cultural form of tourism [10] is based on three key elements: the territory, the host, and the visitor [6], and it is realised through learning, active participation, co-creation, creative self-expression, and local community engagement [11]. As argued by Molina [8], creative tourism can be developed at different rates in different tourism destinations due to being difficult to copy. It can evolve based on the authentic idiosyncrasies of a given territory, as not all destinations are equal, although all of them can adopt a creative strategy [4].
Its development has progressed from individualised creative activities to complex creative networks strongly linked to technology-mediated tourism experiences where tourists and producers co-create the overall tourism experience [3,5,12], thus serving as a fertile ground for the entrepreneurship of creative communities [13]. Creative tourism can be viewed as a form of networked tourism, which depends on the ability of producers and consumers to relate to each other and to (co)generate value from their encounters [14], allowing the development of creative, social, and relational capitals [6,15] for social agents connected to the creative tourism ecosystem [16]. The benefits of creative tourism have been studied by several authors. For example, the creative tourist from a eudaimonic perspective [17] or their perceptions towards the cognitive, affective, reflexive, and social benefits within creative activities [18]. Others have highlighted creative tourism benefits for destinations, territories, enterprises, and local communities. They can be summarised as follows: (a) creative tourism allows destinations to innovate new products relatively quickly, requiring small investment in infrastructures, giving them competitive advantages; (b) creativity can provide the source for a tourist activity as well as providing a creative backdrop for tourism activities in general; (c) the creative development of tourism can help maintain a destination’s atmosphere; and (d) creative tourism can become a means of business/entrepreneurship development for craft producers or other small creative enterprises and allows local people to utilise their creative potential and puts them in control of the process [11,19,20,21,22,23,24,25,26,27,28].
Despite these undoubtedly valuable contributions, dedicated research on creative tourism network benefits while adopting a multidimensional framework analysis and focusing on both creative supply and demand is scarce. To fill this gap, the present paper focuses on a specific territorial-based creative tourism network while adopting a tourism multidimensional framework [29,30,31] to analyse its benefits according to creative tourism regenerative and sustainable principles [21,32]. For that, the authors used a quantitative approach to inquiry into both creative supply and demand involved in creative tourism experiences organised around a creative tourism network, promoted by the city hall of Loulé, Portugal. By doing so, it was possible to measure intentions through a Likert scale of five items [33,34] on the opinion of both creative entrepreneurs and creative tourists about the territorial benefits of the network. The paper is organised as follows: After the introduction, the case study is contextualised. Next, the methodological section explains the empirical study. After this, the data are analysed using SPSS software [35] and discussed. Finally, in the conclusion, final remarks, study limitations, and future research directions are presented.

The Loulé Criativo Network

Loulé, a municipality in the Faro district of the Algarve region, is one of Portugal’s three most important tourist areas, alongside Lisbon and Madeira, due to its unique combination of inland (barrocal), mountain, and coastal landscapes. The region’s significance is highlighted by its extensive tourism infrastructure, such as the Vilamoura complex, which features a marina, golf academy, casino, numerous leisure facilities, and numerous four- and five-star hotels [36,37]. Located in a region with high tourism potential, Loulé combines the importance of Mediterranean gastronomy, rich cultural influences from Arab and Muslim history, and ideal conditions for sun and beach tourism, among others. The municipality has recently focused on revitalising its tourism supply with unique and creative tourism strategies to provide new experiences rooted in the Algarve culture [36,37,38,39,40,41], differentiating and diversifying its tourism supply from a more traditional sea, sun, and sand destination image.
The case study focuses on the Loulé Criativo network created in 2015, an initiative spearheaded by the town hall of Loulé in Portugal’s Algarve region, as seen in Figure 1. It remains the only national destination registered in the Creative Tourism Network, which has the goal to promote creative tourism around the world [42]. Loulé Criativo comprises several departments, including the following: Creative Tourism, the Loulé Design Lab, and a network of shops (offering palm weaving, clay and copper crafts, and watchmaker and luthier studios) [40]. It provides short-term workshops on palm handicrafts, photography, local and regional cuisine, introductory clay courses, tinsmithing classes, and the restoration of historic buildings in the town centre. As a result, it offers a diverse array of local art workshops covering handicrafts, art, gastronomy, heritage, and rhythm [40].
The network consists primarily of private entities, including hotels, restaurants, bars, hostels, entertainment companies, and travel agencies, but also creative artisans and creative entrepreneurs. The project aims to connect and create synergies between artisans and creatives to rehabilitate and develop traditional crafts while promoting contemporary artisanal activity that offers creative services and preserves key elements of the Algarve’s culture. The conditions under which these experiences are provided, along with the promotion and operation of the network, justify the case study approach [43]. The mission of the creative network relies on the promotion of a diversified and regular programme of creative tourism; the guarantee of the quality and authenticity of experiences; the invitation of tourists to interact with the local culture; stimulating the emergence of new activities and entrepreneurs in the tourism economic chain; and maintaining and innovating local traditions and identity [40]. Specifically, the Loulé Design Lab aims to mentor in public space concessions and incubate entrepreneurs related to production, design, and creative residences. It also aims at the development of products and services by local artists through learning and knowledge and fostering creative events to strengthen territorial projects and creative tourism [44]. The workshop programmes seek to safeguard and valorise traditional knowledge and crafts; encourage the production, execution, and commercialisation of pieces; innovate in the objects produced; promote experiments; and run short courses [40].
Although other studies have addressed this network [38,39,41,44], they have focused on partial analysis of the network. This study goes beyond that by applying a multidimensional framework analysis [29,30,31] to the benefits of creative tourism towards the mission and goals of the creative tourism network, while considering both supply and demand. The potential benefits of creative tourism for low-density regions and mature tourist destinations, including job creation, economic development, and the revitalisation of ancient techniques, are thus subjects of scientific investigation. Table 1 summarises the main dimensions analysed for the supply and demand sides.
The next section analyses the data within each of these mentioned dimensions, confronting, when possible, the opinions and perceptions of both supply and demand.

2. Materials and Methods

Data was collected through a survey conducted on 42 individuals among the creative supply network and creative tourists between April 2019 and March 2020. After contacting the city hall of Loulé, which facilitated direct contact with the network stakeholders and creative tourists, the authors used convenience sampling [45], reaching all 19 partners registered in the network at the time of the study, resulting in the final population of the study. Also, 23 creative tourists who participated in the creative activities offered by the network were involved in the study. To enable a greater variety of representation, all types of workshops offered by the network partners were included. Based on the literature review, the many benefits of creative tourism, and the goals of the creative network, the authors developed 40 Likert scale statements with 5 items (1—Completely Disagree up to 5—Completely Agree) based on the aforementioned dimensions. For validation purposes, the survey was sent to Creative Barcelona creatives, the network promoters, and other creative tourism researchers.
In terms of sociodemographic characterisation, creatives from the supply side were constituted by 19 individuals, consisting of 7 men and 12 women. A total of 17 individuals were aged between 36 and 65 years, with one man falling within the 19 to 35 age range and another over 65 years old. All reside in Portugal. A total of 15 are self-employed (78.9%), 3 are employed (15.8%), and 1 is retired (5.3%). Regarding monthly income, 8 individuals earn less than EUR 700 (42.1%), 9 earn between EUR 701 and EUR 1.500 (47.4%), and only 2 earn between EUR 1.501 and EUR 3.000 (10.5%). On the supply side, creative tourists consisted of 23 individuals (6 men and 17 women), with the majority (13) of women aged between 36 and 65 years old. Regarding country of residence, 18 individuals lived in Portugal, with the remaining individuals residing in Canada (2), Finland (1), France (1), and the UK (1). Among the creative tourists, 8 (34.8%) were self-employed, while 9 (39.1%) were employed, 5 were retired (21.7%), and 1 was a student (4.3%). In terms of monthly income, 10 individuals earn between EUR 1.501 and EUR 3.000 (43.5%), 7 from EUR 701 to EUR 1.500 (30.4%), 4 less than EUR 700 (17.4%), and 2 between EUR 3.001 and EUR 5.000 (8.7%). In line with the creative tourism literature (28.46), both creatives and creative tourists have higher education levels. A total of 10 creatives have a degree (52.6%), 5 have a master’s degree (26.3%), and on the demand side, 10 creative tourists hold a master’s degree and 9 hold a degree corresponding to 43.5% and 39.1%, respectively.

3. Results

3.1. Job Creation

Tourism’s economic contributions are well known [46,47], as it can provide jobs at the destination and promote the economic development of the territory [48]; thus, creative tourism destinations are no exception [49]. As already mentioned, one of the Loulé City Council’s objectives is to provide the tools that can foster job creation in the region and hopefully allow the fixation of creatives. Not only does the municipality offer the conditions for creatives to establish themselves within the network but also the support for the creation of art-related businesses. When asked about the potential of the creative network for job creation, both the supply and demand sides were unequivocal about the potential of the creative framework, as we can see from Figure 2 and Figure 3.
Creatives believe the Loulé Criativo network supports local job creation, with a mean of 4.16. They agree that the network helps to develop local jobs and provides the conditions for creatives to successfully grow their businesses (mean of 4.21). For businesses based on local traditions, the mean is even higher at 4.68. Additionally, the network’s support for job creation across the tourism value chain is viewed favourably, with a mean rating of 4.26.
The perception of job creation related to tourism is largely positive among participants. They rate their contribution to job creation with a mean score of 4.13 and believe the potential for tourism entrepreneurs to settle in the area is even higher, with a mean score of 4.22. Additionally, there is a strong intention to support local development through creative tourism experiences, also scoring a mean of 4.13. When comparing responses on job creation between supply and demand, both sides view the network’s conditions favourably, indicating a positive overall perception of job creation opportunities.

3.2. Production and Commerce of Creative Products

Although a clear benefit of creative tourism is the possibility of the tourist creating a souvenir, the real production and commerce of creative products are also very important as they originate advertising and commercial awareness [50] in relation to creativity and tourism [51]. The possibility and role that the creative network offers in terms of the production and commerce of creative goods were also objects of inquiry, as we can see in Figure 4 and Figure 5.
As far as supply is concerned, there is a favourable position regarding the beneficial conditions that the network provides for creatives to successfully put their products on sale (mean of 4.16). However, while these conditions are favourable on the scale of the network, the same cannot be said for the Loulé Criativo network’s contribution to increasing the sale of creatives’ products in the rest of the country and abroad, with lower averages of 2.47 and 2.58, respectively. This results from the regional prevalence of the network.
Regarding the perception of demand, participants agree that they feel motivated to consume creative tourism experiences because it allows them to acquire authentic products with a mean of 4.09, and also the opportunity to produce authentic products with a higher mean of 4.30. This is in line with the engaging capacity creative tourism offers its creatives, hosts, local community, and creative tourists [6].

3.3. Safeguarding the Tangible and Intangible Heritage of the Region

One of the major benefits of creative tourism is the role it can have in the revalorisation of the arts and the intangible heritage of a given destination [52]. As creativity presents itself as a renewable resource, it exists in all of us and is therefore available in all destinations [32]. Seen as a mandatory strategy for heritage preservation, creative tourism allows for the differentiation of destinations [28], in contrast to other forms of tourism. Creatives were asked about the contribution of the network to the preservation of tangible and intangible heritage in the region (Figure 6).
The results show a positive perception on the part of the creatives of the Loulé Criativo network’s contribution to preserving local traditions, with a clear mean of 4.84. The safeguarding of the region’s traditional knowledge and crafts has a mean score of 4.21, resulting in a positive perception of the goals of the network. Creatives in the network also believe that the offer of creative experiences has also contributed to the urban regeneration of the city centre, with a mean of 4.05. A real impact is already seen in the realisation of creative events in the city.

3.4. Relationship Between Agents of the Loulé Criativo Network

The potential of creative networks to favour the development of creative, social, and relational capital [5] can accelerate territorial development through creative tourism by creating synergies in the form of networks. Figure 7 demonstrates the opinions of creatives.
Despite the recognised added value of collaborative work, the data reveal a different perception on the part of the creatives. For example, the effectiveness of developing the skills needed by the creatives to do business together with their partners only received a mean of 3.53. Regarding creative work being essential to the success of other partners, the mean of the creatives’ choices is even lower, standing at an average of 3.16. Working in collaboration with partners outside the network also has a low mean. In terms of external collaboration within the network of partners in the design and offering of creative experiences, the mean is 3.32. This trend affects the development of creative competencies together with partners outside the network, resulting in an average of 3.26. However, there is a clear positive intention (4.05) that creatives may work with partners outside the network in the future, expanding the regional perspective of the network.

3.5. Innovative and Creative Image of the Region

The establishment of creative networks is one of several ways of developing creative tourism businesses. Based on the creative economy, creative networks [53] become examples of offline structures that extend beyond the virtual world from where they often originate [26]. We tried to gauge the contribution that the network has, in the opinion of the creatives and participants, about its ability to contribute to Loulé’s image and its region being considered innovative and creative. The following Figure 8 and Figure 9 show positive averages in this regard on both the supply and demand sides.
According to the creatives, the network has helped to create a distinctive image of the region, with an authoritative mean of 4.84. Loulé’s image is considered innovative and creative with means of 4.37 and 4.42, respectively. Concerning the contribution made by the creative experiences and workshops offered by the network’s partners, once again they represent a positive mean, with 4.58 for the creative experiences being innovative for the region and 4.47 concerning them being creative for the region.
This is also a very positive dimension for creative tourists. Participants agree that the consumption of creative experiences contributes to creating a distinctive image of Loulé, with a mean of 4.61. The development of creative tourism through the network helps to maintain a creative atmosphere, with the results registering a mean of 4.61. If Loulé’s image in terms of supply is innovative and creative, the same is true for demand, although the positive averages drop slightly to 4.61 when asked about the region’s innovative and creative image. Despite being positive, the mean drops to 4.35 when participants perceive that the creative network helps the region to stand out from the rest of the country.

3.6. The Active Role of the Local Community in the Network

Creative tourism is an activity that does not need big infrastructure investments, and its main element is a community’s endogenous knowledge. Creative tourism can have a community base but not necessarily, despite having at its core endogenous activities that could be promoted by local members of the community [6]. Despite this, the role of the community within the creative network was questioned, as we can see from Figure 10.
Despite a favourable opinion of the contribution that the local community makes to the success of the Loulé Criativo network, with a positive mean of 4.21, when asked to identify whether the local community plays an active role in the network, the mean drops considerably to 3.53. The negative mean of 2.95 about consulting the local community about the creatives’ businesses seems to confirm this situation. Creatives rated the participation of other creatives, artists, and other members of the local community in the design of the creative experiences offered by them in the context of the network with the same low mean value of 2.95.

3.7. The Profile of the Consumption of Creative Tourists Through the Creative Network

Prior studies have focused on the profiles of creative tourists. For example, Remoaldo et al. [54] characterised in their study three groups: those looking for novelty, those who want to learn, and those looking for creative entertainment. Tan et al. [55] identified five groups of creative tourists: novelty seekers, knowledge and skills learners, those who are aware of their travel partners’ growth, those who are aware of green issues, and the relax and leisure type. In a different approach to these creative tourists, this study focused on how creative tourists consume creative experiences offered through the creative network, as can be seen in Figure 11 and Figure 12.
When asked whether the consumption of creative tourism experiences through the Loulé Criativo network increased their length of stay in the destination, the participants did not consider this to be very important, as shown by a mean of 3.39. Regarding the main reason why the participants chose the Algarve to take part in creative tourism experiences, the answer is clear with a negative mean of 2.22, which shows that the attractiveness of the network and the fact that this type of experience is available are not very important at the moment. The attractiveness of the network and the availability of this type of experience do not yet translate into a determining factor in choosing the Algarve as a destination. When asked if they travelled to the Algarve to consume other experiences, including creative tourism, the mean response rose slightly to 3.30. However, this figure confirms the secondary role given to the consumption of creative experiences presently. On the other hand, when asked to rate the intention of the proposition about the alternative to the Algarve’s main offer, which represents the consumption of creative tourism experiences through the Loulé Criativo network, the respondents are adamant that it is very important, which translates into a clear mean of 4.35.
According to the participants, the consumption of creative tourism experiences sets them apart from other tourists, but with a mean of 3.91. In line with the literature on creative tourism, e.g., [4], participants say that consuming this type of tourism makes them more knowledgeable about the day-to-day life of the destination, with an unequivocal mean of 4.26.

4. Discussion

Destination-based networks for creative tourism [56] have been seen as valid alternatives with positive benefits for the development of tourism territories. Because of the importance that can be generated for the destinations, creative tourism networks can harness the creativity of local communities and boost territorial creativity [32] through individualised creative experiences up to complex creative and technology-mediated experiences. That is one of the reasons why we can identify this form of creative network in several phases of creative tourism business development [3]. Given this, our case study was the localised network [57] of the Loulé Criativo.
Participants perceive the Loulé Criativo network as a strong supporter of local job creation, helping creatives grow their businesses and fostering job opportunities in the tourism value chain. Both the supply and demand sides agree that the network provides favourable conditions for job creation, fostering the entrepreneurship of creative communities [58]. This means that following the goals of the network, favourable conditions for job creation exist in the region, and its benefits are being met. Local agents are seen to provide beneficial conditions for creatives to successfully sell their products, though the Loulé Criativo network’s contribution to increasing sales beyond the local area is less effective. On the demand side, participants are motivated to engage in creative tourism experiences, valuing the opportunity to acquire and produce authentic products, which aligns with the network’s ability to engage various stakeholders, in line with the creative tourism literature. Creatives perceive the Loulé Criativo network as highly effective in preserving local traditions and safeguarding the region’s traditional knowledge and crafts [6,59]. Additionally, they believe that offering creative experiences has positively contributed to the urban regeneration of the city centre. This has also been witnessed by other researchers when researching one of the most notorious world music events that happens in the city every year, Festival MED [10]. Having celebrated its 20th edition this year, the event transforms the venue of the historical centre with the use of local creativity and is responsible for the temporary rehabilitation of certain local houses in the historical centre [60]. This is also attempted by the creative network.
Despite recognising the added value of collaborative work, creatives perceive the Loulé Criativo network as less effective in developing the necessary business skills and in highlighting the importance of their work for partner success. While current collaboration with external partners within the network is seen as limited, there is a strong positive intention for creatives to engage with partners outside the network in the future. Concerning the active role of the local community, despite a favourable opinion of the community’s contribution to the Loulé Criativo network’s success, creatives perceive the community’s active role in the network as significantly lower. This is further confirmed by the low rating for consulting the local community about creative business decisions and the participation of other creatives, artists, and community members in designing creative experiences offered by the network. Although the creative tourism literature is clear in pointing to the advantage of basing this cultural form of tourism on the creativity harnessed by the territory and local communities [6], in this case, its active role is relative and can be further nurtured.
Creatives believe the Loulé Criativo network has significantly contributed to creating a distinctive and authoritative image of the region, viewing it as innovative and creative. The creative experiences and workshops offered by the network’s partners are also seen positively, enhancing the region’s innovative and creative reputation. Participants on the demand side similarly agree that consuming these creative experiences helps establish Loulé’s distinctive image and maintains a creative atmosphere, although they perceive the network’s impact on making the region stand out nationally as slightly less pronounced. Participants do not consider the consumption of creative tourism experiences through the Loulé Criativo network as a significant factor in increasing their length of stay in the Algarve. Similarly, the attractiveness of the network and these experiences are not yet determining factors in choosing the Algarve as a destination, though there is a strong positive intention to consider creative tourism as an alternative to the region’s main offerings in the future. Participants feel that consuming creative tourism experiences helps distinguish them from other tourists and makes them more knowledgeable about the destination’s daily life, aligning with the literature on creative tourism.
Overall, this research contributes to the field by expanding previous studies by addressing both creative tourism supply and demand while using a multidimensional perspective on the benefits of creative tourism. Additionally, the findings on job creation are in line with previous studies highlighting the contribution this special interest tourism can have in low-density areas [1,9,16]. The creative tourism literature points to the importance of tourists’ co-creation while engaging in creative experiences in close contact with the local community, allowing them to produce authentic souvenirs [51]. While findings follow this tendency on the demand side, creatives only admit to the raising of product sales locally but not nationally or internationally. The activation of local cultural resources is paramount in the creative tourism literature [4,5,28], and in particular this case study [41] contributes to the safeguarding of the region’s tangible and intangible heritage [29,52]. Results corroborate this opinion as one of the visible benefits of the Loulé creative network. Concerning the development of relational capital in the creative tourism literature [26], the network allows for close work among partners, motivating them in the future to further increase this partnership. This is in line with Carvalho and Reis [58] in highlighting the positive development of the entrepreneurship of creative communities in tourism. Long established in this field, the contribution of creative tourism to the differentiation of the image of the destinations [8,28] allows destinations to diversify their tourism supply. Results show clearly that the network provides a creative and innovative layer to the destination´s image, traditionally linked to sea, sun, and sand tourism. While the importance of local communities in the development of this type of tourism is well established in the creative tourism literature [1,2,61], creatives recognise their contribution but not always as a defining one [6]. This corresponds to the central role the municipality plays in the network by defining the “rules of the game”. Finally, concerning creative tourists, while prior studies have successfully provided the determinants and motivational factors of such tourists [54,55], the authors have concentrated on the consumption of creative experiences. According to the results, while creative tourism contributes to the development of cultural capital and differentiation among tourists, it does not yet have a strong appeal to motivate travelling on its own.
Based on this, future research directions can be pointed out to other forms of creative tourism businesses, creative hubs, labs, and other creative networks. This could be sought in compliance with the Creative Tourism Network team to provide more updated information about the territorial effects of the benefits of creative tourism worldwide. Also, close collaborations with creative tourism national or regional observatories can be promoted. Another view could be explored regarding types of creative tourists in relation not only to their motivations but also how they consume, co-create, and develop skills along with creative communities in relation to creative events, networks, and in particular third sector associations. Regarding this particular network, further studies should apply a longitudinal stance on its territorial and regional benefits.

5. Conclusions

This research provides a multidimensional analysis of the Loulé Criativo network’s impact and regional benefits, highlighting its role in job creation, heritage preservation, the production and commerce of creative products, the consumption of creative experiences, the role of the local community and social capital development within the creative network, and regional branding. The network is perceived as a strong supporter of local job creation, offering favourable conditions for creatives and tourism entrepreneurs to thrive. However, its effectiveness in expanding sales beyond the local area and its role in increasing the length of stay for tourists are seen as limited for the time being. Despite this, there is significant enthusiasm for creative tourism as an alternative to the region’s main tourism supply. Creatives acknowledge the network’s success in preserving local traditions and enhancing the region’s image as innovative and creative, while also contributing positively to urban regeneration. However, there is room for improvement in fostering active collaboration within the network and engaging the local community more effectively. Although the local community’s role in the network is perceived as relative, there is a strong intention among creatives to explore partnerships outside the network, which could enhance collaborative efforts and business skill development. Participants view creative tourism experiences as valuable for distinguishing themselves from other (cultural) tourists and for gaining deeper insights into the destination. Nonetheless, the network’s current impact on making the Algarve a primary choice for creative tourism is still developing. Not without limitations, this research bases its object of study on a single case study, and therefore its conclusions are not generalisable. This study accentuates the potential of creative tourism networks from the supply and demand sides to drive regional development and highlights the need for continued evolution and collaboration within these networks to fully realise and boost their benefits.

Author Contributions

Conceptualisation, R.M.F.C.; Methodology, R.M.F.C., C.C. and A.M.F.; Software, R.M.F.C.; Validation, C.C. and A.M.F.; Formal analysis, R.M.F.C.; Investigation, R.M.F.C.; Data curation, R.M.F.C.; Writing—original draft, R.M.F.C.; Writing—review and editing, R.M.F.C.; Visualisation, R.M.F.C., C.C. and A.M.F.; Supervision, C.C. and A.M.F. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

Funding

This research received no external funding.

Data Availability Statement

For data access please consult the corresponding author.

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

References

  1. Akdemir, H.; José, J.; Gonçalves, M. Empirical Research on Creative Tourism: A Systematic Review. J. Tour Dev. 2023, 41, 531–550. [Google Scholar]
  2. Carvalho, R.M.F.; da Costa, C.M.M.; Ferreira, A.M.A.P. Review of the theoretical underpinnings in the creative tourism research field. Tour. Manag. Stud. 2019, 15, 11–22. Available online: https://www.tmstudies.net/index.php/ectms/article/view/1053 (accessed on 10 July 2024). [CrossRef]
  3. Duxbury, N.; Richards, G. A Research Agenda for Creative Tourism, 1st ed.; Duxbury, N., Richards, G., Eds.; Edward Elgar Publishing: Cheltenham, UK, 2019; pp. 1–200. [Google Scholar]
  4. Richards, G. Creativity and tourism. Ann. Tour. Res. 2011, 38, 1225–1253. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  5. Richards, G.; Duxbury, N. Trajectories and trends in creative tourism: Where are we headed. In Creative Tourism: Activating Cultural Resources and Engaging Creative Travellers; Duxbury, N., Carvalho, C.P., Albino, S., Eds.; CABI: Wallingford, UK, 2021; pp. 53–58. Available online: https://www.academia.edu/60016919/Trajectories_and_trends_in_creative_tourism_Where_are_we_headed (accessed on 10 July 2024).
  6. Almeida, L. Turismo Criativo—Teoria e Prática; SENAC: Sao Paulo, Brazil, 2023; p. 189. [Google Scholar]
  7. Baixinho, A.; Santos, C.; Couto, G.; de Albergaria, I.S.; da Silva, L.S.; Medeiros, P.D.; Simas, R.M.N. Creative Tourism on Islands: A Review of the Literature. Sustainability 2020, 12, 10313. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  8. Molina, S. Notas Livres Turismo Creativo. Rev. Tur. Estud. E Práticas-RTEP/GEPLAT/UERN 2016, 5, 205–223. [Google Scholar]
  9. Wisansing, J.; Vongvisitsin, T. Local impacts of creative tourism initiatives. In A Research Agenda for Creative Tourism; Duxbury, N., Richards, G., Eds.; Elgar Research Agendas: Cheltenham, UK, 2019; pp. 122–136. [Google Scholar]
  10. Carvalho, R.; Ferreira, A.M.; Figueira, L.M. Cultural and Creative tourism in Portugal. PASOS Rev. Tur. Patrim. Cult. 2016, 14, 1075–1082. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  11. Duxbury, N.; Bakas, F.E.; Carvalho, C.P. Participatory knowledge co-production to activate culture in the development of small cities and rural areas in Portugal. Soc. Enterp. J. 2023, 20, 159–180. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  12. Richards, G. Rethinking Cultural Tourism; Edward Elgar Publishing: Cheltenham, UK, 2021; p. 207. [Google Scholar]
  13. Carvalho, R.; Reis, P. Entrepreneurship of Creative Communities in Tourism. In Reference Module in Social Sciences; Elsevier: Amsterdam, The Netherlands, 2024. [Google Scholar]
  14. Richards, G.; Marques, L. Exploring Creative Tourism: Editors Introduction. J. Tour Consum. Pract. 2012, 4, 12. [Google Scholar]
  15. Richards, G. Creating relational tourism through exchange. In Proceedings of the ATLAS Annual Conference, Valletta, Malta, 6–8 November 2013. [Google Scholar]
  16. Salvado, J.; Ferreira, A.M.; Serra, J.; Marujo, N. The creative and cultural tourism ecosystem: A conceptual model. Dos Algarves A Multidiscip. E-J. 2020, 38, 59–88. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  17. Matteucci, X.; Smith, M. The Creative Tourist: A Eudaimonic Perspective; Emerald Publishing Limited: Leeds, UK, 2024; p. 121. [Google Scholar]
  18. Llincic, M. Benefits of Creative Tourism—The Tourist Perspective. In Expert Meeting on Alternative and Creative Tourism in Cities; Acadamia: Leeds, UK, 2014; pp. 99–113. [Google Scholar]
  19. Bakas, F.E.; Duxbury, N.; de Castro, T.V. Creative tourism: Catalysing artisan entrepreneur networks in rural Portugal. Int. J. Entrep. Behav. Res. 2019, 25, 731–752. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  20. Dias, Á.; Silva, G.M.; Patuleia, M.; González-Rodríguez, M.R. Developing sustainable business models: Local knowledge acquisition and tourism lifestyle entrepreneurship. J. Sustain. Tour. 2020, 31, 931–950. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  21. Duxbury, N.; Bakas, F.E.; de Castro, T.V.; Silva, S. Creative Tourism Development Models towards Sustainable and Regenerative Tourism. Sustainability 2021, 13, 2. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  22. Remoaldo, P.; Matos, O.; Gôja, R.; Alves, J.; Duxbury, N. Management Practices in Creative Tourism: Narratives by Managers from International Institutions to a More Sustainable Form of Tourism. Geosciences 2020, 10, 46. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  23. Remoaldo, P.; Cadima-Ribeiro, J. Creative Tourism as a New Challenge to the Development of Destinations: The Portuguese Case Study. In Cultural and Creative Industries: A Path to Entrepreneurship and Innovation; Peris-Ortiz, M., Cabrera-Flores, M., Santoyo, A., Eds.; Spinger: Berlin/Heidelberg, Germany, 2019; pp. 81–99. [Google Scholar]
  24. Richards, G. From cultural tourism to creative tourism: European perspectives. Tourism 2002, 50, 225–233. [Google Scholar]
  25. Richards, G. Creative Tourism and Local Development. In Creative Tourism: A Global Conversation; Wurzburger, R., Pattakos, A., Pratt, S., Eds.; Sunstone Press: Santa Fe, NM, USA, 2009; pp. 78–90. [Google Scholar]
  26. Richards, G. Creativity and tourism in the city. Curr. Issues Tour. 2012, 17, 119–144. Available online: http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/13683500.2013.783794 (accessed on 12 July 2024). [CrossRef]
  27. Richards, G. The challenge of creative tourism. Ethnologies 2016, 38, 31–45. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  28. Richards, G.; Wilson, J. Developing creativity in tourist experiences: A solution to the serial reproduction of culture? Tour Manag. 2006, 27, 1209–1223. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  29. Chen, Z.; Suntikul, W.; King, B. Constructing an intangible cultural heritage experiencescape: The case of the Feast of the Drunken Dragon (Macau). Tour Manag. Perspect. 2020, 34, 100659. Available online: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S221197362030026X?dgcid=rss_sd_all&utm_source=researcher_app&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=RESR_MRKT_Researcher_inbound (accessed on 12 July 2024). [CrossRef]
  30. Pérez-Calderón, E.; Miguel-Barrado, V.; Sánchez-Cubo, F. Tourism Business in Spanish National Parks: A Multidimensional Perspective of Sustainable Tourism. Land 2022, 11, 190. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  31. Zhang, J. A multidimensional perspective on the relationship between tourism and green growth. J. Sustain. Tour. 2023, 1–19. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  32. Richards, G. Business Models for Creative Tourism. J. Hosp. Tour. 2021, 19, 1–13. [Google Scholar]
  33. Jamieson, S. Likert Scales how to (ab)use them. Med. Educ. 2004, 38, 1217–1218. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
  34. Likert, R. A technique for the measurement of attitudes. Arch. Psychol. 1932, 22 140, 55. Available online: http://psycnet.apa.org/psycinfo/1933-01885-001 (accessed on 12 July 2024).
  35. Pestana, M.; Gageiro, J. Análise De Dados Para Ciências Sociais—A Complementaridade do SPSS; Edições Sílabo: Lisboa, Portugal, 1998; p. 478. [Google Scholar]
  36. Correia, A.; Águas, P. O Perfil Do Turista Que Visita O Algarve O Perfil Do Turista; Travel BI: Castelo Branco, Portugal, 2016. [Google Scholar]
  37. RTA. Turismo Cultural No Algarve—Perfil Do Turista E Perspetivas De Desenvolvimento; Região de Turismo do Algarve: Sao Paaulo, Brazil, 2022; p. 91. Available online: https://www.turismodoalgarve.pt/upload_files/client_id_1/website_id_3/Biblioteca/2023/OPIUM-ALGARVE-11.pdf (accessed on 11 July 2024).
  38. Akdemir, H.; São José, J.M.; Gonçalves, M. Social inclusion of older artisans through creative tourism. Anatolia 2023, 1–14. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  39. Sousa, B.; Vareiro, L.; Coelho, D.; Mota, L.; Silva, F. Criatividade no turismo e envolvimento do visitante: O estudo de caso de Loulé (Portugal). Rev. Iberoam. Tur. 2019, 9, 62–77. [Google Scholar]
  40. CML. Loulé Criativo. 2024. Available online: http://loulecriativo.pt (accessed on 15 July 2024).
  41. Lúcio, M. Loulé Criativo: Our creative tourism development story. In Creative Tourism: Activating Cultural Resources and Engaging Creative Travellers; Duxbury, N., Albino, S., Carvalho, C., Eds.; CABI: Wallingford, UK, 2021. [Google Scholar]
  42. Carvalho, R.; Costa, C.; Ferreira, A.M. New Cultural Mediators, Cocreation, and the Cultural Consumption of Creative Tourism Experiences. In Handbook of Research on Technological Developments for Cultural Heritage and eTourism Applications, 1st ed.; Rodrigues, J., Ramos, C., Cardoso, P., Henriques, C., Eds.; IGI Global: Hershey, Pennsylvania, 2018; pp. 264–283. Available online: https://www.igi-global.com/chapter/new-cultural-mediators-cocreation-and-the-cultural-consumption-of-creative-tourism-experiences/192770?camid=4v1 (accessed on 20 July 2024).
  43. Yin, R. Estudo De Caso—Panejamento E Métodos; Bookman: Porto Alegre, Brazil, 2015; 320p. [Google Scholar]
  44. Emmendoerfer, M.; Richards, G.; Silva-Junior, A.; Mediotte, E. Turismo Criativo e Laboratórios de Inivação para o desenvolvimento turístico no contexto pós-pandêmico: Evidências e Reflexões. Rev. An. Bras. Estud. Turísticos 2023, 13, 1–13. [Google Scholar]
  45. Given, L.M. Convenience sample. In The Sage Encyclopedia of Qualitative Research Methods; Sage Publications: Washington, DC, USA, 2008; pp. 230–231. Available online: http://www.uk.sagepub.com/booksProdDesc.nav?prodId=Book229805 (accessed on 11 July 2024).
  46. Smith, M.; Pinke-Sziva, I.; Berezvai, Z. The relative importance of culture in urban tourism: Implications for segmentation. Consum. Behav. Tour. Hosp. 2023, 18, 157–173. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  47. Page, S.P.; Connell, J. Tourism a Modern Synthesis, 5th ed.; Routledge: Andover, UK, 2020. [Google Scholar]
  48. Oliveira, D.; Pitarch-Garrido, M. Measuring the sustainability of tourist destinations based on the SDGs: The case of Algarve in Portugal: Tourism agenda-2030. Tour. Rev. 2023, 78, 475–495. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  49. Richards, G. Tourism, Creativity and Creative Industries; AcademiaEdu: San Francisco, CA, USA, 2012; Available online: http://www.academia.edu/download/30250116/Creativity_and_tourism_in_the_city.pdf (accessed on 10 July 2024).
  50. Poorbafarani, F.; Vafaei, A.; Nasrabadi, E. Presenting a model of the key success factors of creative tourism: (Case Study: Nain). Hum. Geogr. Res. Quaterly 2024, 56, 1–24. [Google Scholar]
  51. Henshall, J.L.; Timothy, D. Tourists’ perceptions of ‘cultural and creative souvenir’ products and their relationship with place. J. Tour. Cult. Chang. 2023, 22, 143–163. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  52. Arcos-Pumarola, J.; Paquin, A.G.; Sitges, M.H. The use of intangible heritage and creative industries as a tourism asset in the UNESCO creative cities network. Heliyon 2023, 9, e13106. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  53. Messineo, E. Tourist creative processes and experiences in the European Cultural Itinerary “The Phoenicians” Route. J. Tour. Consum. Pract. 2012, 4, 41–54. [Google Scholar]
  54. Remoaldo, P.; Serra, J.; Marujo, N.; Alves, J.; Gonçalves, A.; Cabeça, S.; Duxbury, N. Profiling the participants in creative tourism activities: Case studies from small and medium sized cities and rural areas from Continental Portugal. Tour. Manag. Perspect. 2020, 36, 100746. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
  55. Tan, S.-K.; Luh, D.-B.; Kung, S.-F. A taxonomy of creative tourists in creative tourism. Tour. Manag. 2014, 42, 248–259. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  56. Richards, G. Panorama of Creative Tourism Around the World (Panorama do turismo criativo no mundo). In Proceedings of the Seminário Internacional de Turismo Criativo, Recife, Brasil, 7 December 2018. [Google Scholar]
  57. Duxbury, N.; Silva, S.; Castro, T. Creative tourism development in small cities and rural areas in Portugal: Insights from start-up activities. In Creating and Managing Experiences in Cultural Tourism; Jelinčić, D.A., Mansfeld, Y., Eds.; World Scientific Publishing: Singapore, 2018. [Google Scholar]
  58. Carvalho, R.; Reis, P. Entrepreneurship of Creative Communities in Tourism. In International Encyclopedia of Business Management; Elsevier: Amsterdam, The Netherlands, 2024; pp. 1–5. [Google Scholar]
  59. Pimenta, C.; Cadima-Ribeiro, J.; Remoaldo, P. The relationship between creative tourism and local development: A bibliometric approach for the period 2009–2019. Tour. Manag. Stud. 2021, 17, 5–18. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  60. Carvalho, R.; Ferreira, A.M.; Figueira, L.M. O contributo dos eventos culturais e criativos para a criação de uma imagem diferenciadora do destino turístico maduro. O caso do Festival Med de Loulé, Algarve. B Proc. Vol. I–Int. Conf. Tour. Manag. Stud.–Algarve. 2011, 2011, 457–466. [Google Scholar]
  61. Moleiro, D. Creative tourism research: From a critical review of the literature to future research opportunities. J. Tour. Dev. 2023, 41, 247–262. [Google Scholar]
Urbansci 08 00196 g001
Figure 1. Location of the Loulé Criativo network in the Algarve region, Portugal. Source: own elaboration.
Figure 1. Location of the Loulé Criativo network in the Algarve region, Portugal. Source: own elaboration.
Urbansci 08 00196 g001
Urbansci 08 00196 g002
Figure 2. Mean of the job creation dimension—Supply.
Figure 2. Mean of the job creation dimension—Supply.
Urbansci 08 00196 g002
Urbansci 08 00196 g003
Figure 3. Mean of the job creation dimension—Demand.
Figure 3. Mean of the job creation dimension—Demand.
Urbansci 08 00196 g003
Urbansci 08 00196 g004
Figure 4. Mean of the commercialisation of products dimension—Supply.
Figure 4. Mean of the commercialisation of products dimension—Supply.
Urbansci 08 00196 g004
Urbansci 08 00196 g005
Figure 5. Mean of the production and commercialisation of authentic products dimension—Demand.
Figure 5. Mean of the production and commercialisation of authentic products dimension—Demand.
Urbansci 08 00196 g005
Urbansci 08 00196 g006
Figure 6. Mean of the safeguarding the region’s tangible and intangible heritage dimension—Supply.
Figure 6. Mean of the safeguarding the region’s tangible and intangible heritage dimension—Supply.
Urbansci 08 00196 g006
Urbansci 08 00196 g007
Figure 7. Mean of the relationship between agents in the Loulé Criativo network dimension—Supply.
Figure 7. Mean of the relationship between agents in the Loulé Criativo network dimension—Supply.
Urbansci 08 00196 g007
Urbansci 08 00196 g008
Figure 8. Mean of the innovative and creative image of the region dimension—Supply.
Figure 8. Mean of the innovative and creative image of the region dimension—Supply.
Urbansci 08 00196 g008
Urbansci 08 00196 g009
Figure 9. Mean of the innovative and creative image of the region dimension—Demand.
Figure 9. Mean of the innovative and creative image of the region dimension—Demand.
Urbansci 08 00196 g009
Urbansci 08 00196 g010
Figure 10. Mean of the active role of the local community in the development of the network dimension—Supply.
Figure 10. Mean of the active role of the local community in the development of the network dimension—Supply.
Urbansci 08 00196 g010
Urbansci 08 00196 g011
Figure 11. Mean of the consumption profile of the creative tourist dimension—Demand (a).
Figure 11. Mean of the consumption profile of the creative tourist dimension—Demand (a).
Urbansci 08 00196 g011
Urbansci 08 00196 g012
Figure 12. Mean of the consumption profile of the creative tourist dimension—Demand (b).
Figure 12. Mean of the consumption profile of the creative tourist dimension—Demand (b).
Urbansci 08 00196 g012
Table 1. Dimensions of Likert propositions.
Table 1. Dimensions of Likert propositions.
Dimensions of Likert Propositions
Supply Demand
Job creationTourists’ perception of their contribution to local job creationShared dimensions
Commerce of productsProduction and commerce of authentic products
Safeguarding the tangible and intangible heritage of the region.
Relationship between agents of the Loulé Criativo network
Innovative and creative image of the regionInnovative and creative image of the Loulé regionShared dimensions
Active role of the local community in the development of the network
Consumption profile of the creative tourist
Source: Own elaboration.
Disclaimer/Publisher’s Note: The statements, opinions and data contained in all publications are solely those of the individual author(s) and contributor(s) and not of MDPI and/or the editor(s). MDPI and/or the editor(s) disclaim responsibility for any injury to people or property resulting from any ideas, methods, instructions or products referred to in the content.

Share and Cite

MDPI and ACS Style

Carvalho, R.M.F.; Costa, C.; Ferreira, A.M. Multidimensional Benefits of Creative Tourism: A Network Approach. Urban Sci. 2024, 8, 196. https://doi.org/10.3390/urbansci8040196

AMA Style

Carvalho RMF, Costa C, Ferreira AM. Multidimensional Benefits of Creative Tourism: A Network Approach. Urban Science. 2024; 8(4):196. https://doi.org/10.3390/urbansci8040196

Chicago/Turabian Style

Carvalho, Rui Miguel Ferreira, Carlos Costa, and Ana Maria Ferreira. 2024. "Multidimensional Benefits of Creative Tourism: A Network Approach" Urban Science 8, no. 4: 196. https://doi.org/10.3390/urbansci8040196

APA Style

Carvalho, R. M. F., Costa, C., & Ferreira, A. M. (2024). Multidimensional Benefits of Creative Tourism: A Network Approach. Urban Science, 8(4), 196. https://doi.org/10.3390/urbansci8040196

Article Metrics

Back to TopTop