Creative tourism in Cape Town: an innovation perspective

Abstract

Creative tourism is a growing field of inquiry in tourism studies and engages creative industry, creative city and urban regeneration debates. This research identifies creative experience-based tourism as an example of novel tourism product innovation in Cape Town. Creative spectacles and creative spaces in the Cape Town context are also investigated. Key findings are that creative experience-based tourism is a small, but emerging urban tourism niche market with considerable growth potential in Cape Town; creative events are well developed currently in Cape Town but as yet poorly integrated with the wider tourism destination mix as well as creative industry initiatives, and whilst creative clusters are emerging in Cape Town, minimal development of creative urban spaces for tourism purposes is evident. Critical policy issues emerging from this analysis surround recommendations for fostering creative networks, stimulating demand for creative tourism, developing a comprehensive creative tourism product mix, planning for creative precinct development, and integrating creative tourism into the Cape Town destination image.