Developing creativity in tourist experiences: A solution to the serial reproduction of culture?

Richards, Greg; Wilson, Julie

Abstract

As culture is increasingly utilised as a means of social and economic development, the cultural tourism market is being flooded with new attractions, cultural routes and heritage centres. However, many consumers, tired of encountering the serial reproduction of culture in different destinations are searching for alternatives. The rise of skilled consumption, the importance of identity formation and the acquisition of cultural capital in (post)modern society point towards the use of creativity as an alternative to conventional cultural tourism. This paper considers the development of creative spaces, creative spectacles and creative tourism from the perspective of supply and demand. The need for creativity in developing new products and how to address the challenge of serial reproduction are discussed, and examples of creative tourism projects are examined and contrasted to traditional models of cultural tourism. © 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Publication Date: Dec 1, 2006
• Journal: Tourism Management
• Print ISSN: 0261-5177
• Publisher: Elsevier
• Peer Reviewed: Not Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 27
• Issue: 6
• Pages: 1209-1223
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2005.06.002
• Keywords: creative tourism, cultural tourism, serial reproduction, tourism development, tourist experience
• Public URL: https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/1049100
• Publisher URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2005.06.002
• Additional Information: Additional Information : Equal co-author. This research, from Marie Curie Postdoc Fellowship, Experienced Researcher Fellowship and British Academy small grant, develops the concept of 'creative tourism' (Richards and Raymond 2000). Invited presentation at Department of Tourism, University of Otago, New Zealand (2002). Led to Richards and Wilson's Tourism, Creativity and Development (Routledge, 2007).