Abstract
The development of creative tourism in small towns in rural areas has been the subject of growing interest and research from different perspectives. As part of the national CREATOUR project, which took place in Portugal over about four years, various organisations with relevant activity in the cultural aspect of creative tourism were analysed, constituting a successful reference at a national and international level. However, since mid-2020, the health crisis owing to the pandemic made it necessary to reflect and work under new circumstances for tourism, in contexts not previously planned for, and at the same time as continuing to champion sustainable development. It is in this context that the present study emerges, the aim of which is to identify organizations’ strategies for adaptation within the scope of creative tourism activities in a pandemic situation. This empirical approach is anchored in the case study of the activities of the ‘Saídas de Mestre’ project based on intangible cultural heritage, using in-depth analysis of strategies developed to mitigate the effects of supply and demand constraints. The results show that there was no disintegration of the supply structure, as planned, due to the fact that creative activities are based on the valorisation of the principles of sustainable development and, therefore, depend on endogenous resources and local agents, who remained accessible.
Highlights
In recent years there has been great tourist demand for experiences based on the consumption of lesser-known aspects of intangible cultural heritage and engaging with locals
With reference to its role in this exploratory reflective context, it is intended to identify how MARCA, as an experience provider of reference in the Alentejo region of Portugal, reacted to the challenges and constraints imposed by the pandemic situation, and developed adaptive strategies to ensure the continuation of investments that resulted in a project anchored in the ideas of sustainable development. In light of this scope, the specific objectives (SO) of the present study are: SO1—to describe the typology of creative tourism experiences based on the strategic experiential modules of the Schmitt model; SO2—to identify adaptation strategies in a pandemic context for creative tourism activities; SO3—to identify the impacts generated on creative tourism activities in the context of the pandemic
For a better understanding of the strategies adopted in a pandemic context, and to accomplish SO2, for each of the different activities of the project, procedures were defined to ensure health and safety, both for the agents who carry out the activities and experiences as well as for the participants engaged with others
Summary
In recent years there has been great tourist demand for experiences based on the consumption of lesser-known aspects of intangible cultural heritage and engaging with locals This culture has been “transmitted from past generations to present and future generations, and is constantly recreated by several players” [1] From the point of view of the definition of the operation, addressing the strategies developed within the scope of creative tourism can become an interesting exercise This is especially the case when considering the diversity of the provider profiles already operating in this domain and the diversity of local and regional-based resources that can be mixed and integrated to create a one-of-a-kind experience, while ensuring a sustainable approach.
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