Post-pandemic tourism: opportunities for creative tourism

Tourism was one of the most affected sectors by the outbreak of COVID-19 in early 2020 which had a devastating impact on the economy, and researchers are questioning the future of tourism in a post-pandemic world. In this exploratory text, based on a literature review, it is questioned if creative tourism can play a role in the rebuilding of the tourism industry, once it relies on place-based experiences that use local resources and involves communities and tourists in immersive activities. Creative tourism seems to be a response to the challenges, namely the tourists’ perception of physical distancing, the need to avoid over-tourism, mass tourism and touristification, the desire to reconnect with other people and to have enriching emotional experiences, the increase of awareness about sustainability (for places and future generations) and the resident’s needs and their living conditions. This paper relates the ongoing research on post-pandemic tourism, from several points of view – the tourist’s perceptions, the communities and territories’ needs, and the tourism planners’ vision… – with creative tourism, addressing the opportunities for such tourism, and questioning its feasibility and potential contribution to more meaningful tourism for both hosts and guests, to local economies grow, and to making tourism more sustainable.