Creativity in the pilot project
The comparative analysis of the two sources of information on the pilot project highlighted some predominant themes, which led to the identification of some dimensions that could provide a measure of the creative potential of the route. These dimensions are intertwined with the activities and experiences offered during the trip, and to involvement and post-experiential reflection of the participants. These dimensions are summarized in Table 1.
Our analysis indicates that the activities included in the case study examined predominantly portray the tourist experience as creative.
The perception of these experiences by the users is also characterized by experiential and creative elements.
However, the structuring of the activities, and the specific targets set by individual participants tend to limit the creative scope of the project, linking it more closely with learning and training, which, compared to other possible forms of tourist creative offer, are more bound by utility and the use of specific interpretative tools.
Nevertheless, all the aspects of creativity in tourism outlined in the literature seem to be present in the case study: a variety of heritage in the proposed activities, sensory stimulation, emotional development, perception of authenticity in the experiences, personal growth, and strengthening of the tribal sense of belonging ascribed to the community.
The tourist-cultural product of the project ‘Voyages of Interculturality’ seems therefore to be providing creative experiences, and the experiential and creative elements of the product are perceived by participants as important values for the overall assessment of their travel experience.