Street art as a sustainable tool in mature tourist destinations: a case study of Barcelona

Abstract

Tourism is one of the activities most urgently in need of innovation and creativity to keep the boom going. This paper seeks to understand how mature destinations and tourism managers devise innovative and sustainable solutions in everyday practice. Current trends in demand call for active experiences that generate emotions, stir up feelings, present content and provide a dose of pleasure. The case study presented here is an innovative street art project called Pinacoteca a Cel Obert (Open-Air Art Gallery), a clear example of reactivation, recovery and urban development that involves the local population and associations as part of the local government's drive to encourage community participation and empower change with regard to urban issues. The viability and sustainability of this commendable example are analysed through in-depth interviews with the respective project managers, the guides who run the tours and the visitors who have participated in the tour.

The Influence of Capability, Business Innovation, and Competitive Advantage on a Smart Sustainable Tourism Village and Its Impact on the Management Performance of Tourism Villages on Java Island

“…of 2.778 (≥1.967) and a p-value of 0.005 (≤0.05) so H1 is accepted, meaning that business innovation has a positive and significant effect on the smart sustainable tourism village. The results of this study support previous research with similar findings indicating that innovation influences sustainable tourism [100,101]. One of the goals of innovation is to create new conveniences for human life through inventions or new developments from innovative ideas that have been successfully realized.…”

Tourism towards Sustainability and Innovation: A Systematic Literature Review

“…Toivonen (2020) explored the Finnish population concerning space tourism and sustainability and their findings resulted in four dimensions: (1) virtual travel, (2) comparative fairness, (3) technological innovations, and (4) ecopolitics, based on the current emergence of planning strategies towards sustainability actions in space tourism. Crespi-Vallbona and Mascarilla-Miró [34] advocate street art as a sustainable tool in the context of mature tourist destinations, specifically the case of Barcelona. Their research supported a sustainable tourism governance model between a set of networks, such as the public sector, private businesses, cultural associations, and the general public.…”

“…Consequently, it is essential to persist in raising awareness and social education, to enhance potential tourist destinations as a sustainable reference at the international level [40]. As Crespi-Vallbona and Mascarilla-Miró [34] (p. 1) stated, "tourism is one of the activities most urgently in need of innovation... to keep the boom going", and to better understand how mature destinations and tourism managers devise innovative daily practice solutions.…”

Roblox Graffiti Art Using Virtual Reality Devices: Reality and Spatial Presence in a Virtual Space

“…Third, the metaverse offers an engaging and interactive platform for education. Younger generations, who are native to digital environments, might find learning about cultural heritage more appealing in a virtual space [37,38]. This approach can be especially effective in schools and educational programs, offering a dynamic way of teaching history and culture.…”