Creative tourism implies more than the simple search for niche markets in the broader field of cultural tourism. It reflects a fundamental shift in the creation of value from production (the “tourism industry”) towards consumption (the “tourist”), with the essential nexus between the two being provided by the encounter, the space/event node in the new social networks of tourism.
In the network society, value is collectively created through relationships and the circulation of relational and other forms of capital through networks. Creative tourism is a form of networked tourism, which depends on the ability of producers and consumers to relate to each other and to generate value from their encounters. Creative tourists are “cool hunters” in search of creative “hot-spots” where their own creativity can feed and be fed by the creativity of those they visit. (quoting Greg Richards, in: Journal of Tourism Consumption and Practice, Volume 4 No.2 2012, ISSN 1757-031X 3)
Well, I’ve never thought of myself as a “cool hunter” but hopefully there’ll be more of us soon :) see: learning how to make Pisco Sour, a famous Latin-American drink, in Chile!
