CREATOUR

Selected Projects from the 1st Call for Cultural/Creative Projects
within the CREATOUR Project

March 2017

We are pleased to announce the 20 selected entities that will develop and implement creative tourism initiatives or projects, in cooperation with researchers, within the CREATOUR project (please see table).

The open call for pilots was addressed to all kinds of organizations and public and private entities, third sector entities, and cultural/creative professionals located in the Norte, Centro, Alentejo, and Algarve regions, who were willing to plan and implement creative tourism projects in small cities and rural areas in Portugal, and to be part of the CREATOUR project between 2017 and 2019.

Of the 138 applications received, the top five in each region were selected according to the following selection criteria: i) cultural value of the activities proposed; ii) the creative nature of the activities proposed; iii) capacity of tourism attractiveness; iv) impact of the project in terms of community development; v) diversity of focus of the proposals; and vi) capacity and commitment to work with the research team during the project. Each of the selected pilots will be provided a support of 2000€ for their participation in this research project. A second call for additional projects will be launched in September 2017.

The CREATOUR project is led by the Centre for Social Studies (CES) of the University of Coimbra and involves five research centres, including also: CIDEHUS of the University of Évora, CIEO of the University of the Algarve, DINÂMIA'CET-IUL of Lisbon University Institute (ISCTE-IUL), and Lab2PT of the University of Minho. CREATOUR is funded under the Joint Activities Programme of PORTUGAL 2020, by COMPETE2020, POR Lisboa, POR Algarve, and Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia.

The project’s overall objective is to develop and pilot an integrated approach and research agenda for creative tourism in Portuguese small cities and rural areas, developing strong links within and amongst regions. Building on a twofold approach, CREATOUR intertwines theory and experimentation, combining multidisciplinary theoretical and methodological frameworks, cultural mapping, and benchmarking exercises with the development of an array of creative tourism pilots. CREATOUR aims to produce policy recommendations and strategies, particularly focusing on networking and clustering as key options for continued development.

The project will advance knowledge of the creative/cultural and tourism sectors in small cities and rural areas of Portugal; catalyze the development of a network of 40 creative tourism offers; design professional development and co-learning events through regional and national IdeaLabs; evaluate the development, reception, and impacts of the creative tourism pilots; organize three annual international conferences; and develop advanced training courses and a range of publications directed to researchers, practitioners, and policy-makers.

CREATOUR’s first international conference “The State of the Art in Creative Tourism: Leading Research | Advanced Practices | Future Trajectories” will be held June 1 and 2, 2017, in Coimbra (Portugal). It is open to the general public.

More information about CREATOUR is available at: http://www.ces.uc.pt/creatour/