Tourism, Culture, and the Creative Industries: Reviving Distressed Neighborhoods with Arts-Based Community Tourism

Abstract

Ample attention is paid to the role of arts and culture in community and economic development. however, much less attention is given to its role at the neighborhood area, as well as relationships to local or community tourism. Our goal in this article is to explore how arts and the creative industries influence community-based tourism in neighborhoods needing revitalization. Using an embedded case study analysis approach, two areas were explored: one in the Roosevelt Arts District in Phoenix, Arizona and the other in the South End Arts + Business District in Burlington, Vermont. We find that arts and creative industries do indeed play a role in fostering neighborhood revitalization. Much of the activity centers on fostering capacity building and social interactions, leading to community development outcomes. In both cases, revitalization is occurring. lessons learned are presented, illustrating the importance of arts and culture in a framework of community-based tourism and revitalization.

Role of Creative Industries as a Regional Growth Factor

“…The study of the determining and causal elements of the economic growth of countries is a subject of great interest for many academics, which is why there is an increasing number of studies at the international level [1][2][3]. These studies are also developed in the creative economy and creative industries subsector in order to determine how this new trend influences the economic development of the countries or sectors in which they have been introduced [4][5][6][7]. The concept of creative industries is defined as "those industries which have their origin in individual creativity, skill and talent and which have a potential for wealth and job creation through the generation and exploitation of intellectual property" [8] (p. 04).…”

Path analysis of the revisit potential of an iconic tourism destination

“…Therefore, process is the moderated variable that most strongly affects revisit potential [40][41] [42]. The goodness of fit index exceeds .90 ,the comparative fit Index exceeds .93 [42], the relative chi-square is less than 2 or 3 [43], RMS is less than .08 [44] and ideally less than .05 [45]. Alternatively, the upper confidence interval of the RMS should not exceed .08 [46].…”

Sustainable tourism certification, local governance and management in dealing with overtourism in East Africa

“…Communities are more concerned about transformational governance with strident demands for equity, fairness, affirmative action and community well-being. Aquino et al (2012) identifies community development as an activity with the main objective of improving conditions and QOL by strengthening economic and social progress. Embedded within the concepts of community development is "the voice of the community" or "social capital" or the notion of community participation.…”