Description
The purpose of this editorial is to introduce the special issue on creative cities and cultural
spaces, as offering new perspectives for tourism.
International Journal of Culture, Tourism and Hospitality Research
Creative cities and cultural spaces: new perspectives for city tourism
Maria D. Alvarez
Article information:
To cite this document:
Maria D. Alvarez, (2010),"Creative cities and cultural spaces: new perspectives for city tourism", International J ournal of Culture, Tourism
and Hospitality Research, Vol. 4 Iss 3 pp. 171 - 175
Permanent link to this document:http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/17506181011067565
Downloaded on: 24 January 2016, At: 22:10 (PT)
References: this document contains references to 7 other documents.
To copy this document: [email protected]
The fulltext of this document has been downloaded 2210 times since 2010*
Users who downloaded this article also downloaded:
Marichela Sepe, Giovanni Di Trapani, (2010),"Cultural tourism and creative regeneration: two case studies", International J ournal of Culture,
Tourism and Hospitality Research, Vol. 4 Iss 3 pp. 214-227http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/17506181011067600
Lan-Lan Chang, Kenneth F. Backman, Yu Chih Huang, (2014),"Creative tourism: a preliminary examination of creative tourists’ motivation,
experience, perceived value and revisit intention", International J ournal of Culture, Tourism and Hospitality Research, Vol. 8 Iss 4 pp.
401-419http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/IJ CTHR-04-2014-0032
Robert Maitland, (2010),"Everyday life as a creative experience in cities", International J ournal of Culture, Tourism and Hospitality Research,
Vol. 4 Iss 3 pp. 176-185http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/17506181011067574
Access to this document was granted through an Emerald subscription provided by emerald-srm:115632 []
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Guest editorial
Creative cities and cultural spaces: new
perspectives for city tourism
Maria D. Alvarez
Abstract
Purpose – The purpose of this editorial is to introduce the special issue on creative cities and cultural
spaces, as offering new perspectives for tourism.
Design/methodology/approach – The paper identi?es some key concerns that cities currently face
and introduces the articles in the special issue, remarking on the novel ideas and concepts provided in
these papers.
Findings – Creative tactics may provide an alternative to cultural regeneration strategies, and increase
the capability of cities to distinguish themselves from other competing places.
Originality/value – The paper identi?es key concepts that are further discussed in the articles included
in this special issue on ‘‘creative cities and cultural spaces: new perspectives for tourism’’.
Keywords Cities, Tourism, Urban regions, Culture, Economic development
Paper type General review
Introduction
The twenty-?rst century is seeing a profound transformation of cities, as urban centers are
abandoning manufacturing activities and becoming economically dependent on the service
sector, also moving fromproduction growth to consumption-led development (Richards and
Wilson, 2006). In parallel to this change, the measures used to assess the success of places
have also altered, so that in today’s world a thriving city is one that concentrates on the
tertiary sectors of production, including ?nance, technology and creative activities (Currid,
2006). Furthermore, cities increasingly compete to attract both tourists and investors in order
to bene?t from larger funds and ?nancial resources.
The deindustrialization of the city has also brought forward the challenge of reconverting old
manufacturing spaces, while revitalizing the urban economy. City planners have generally
addressed this problem by assigning these abandoned industrial zones to cultural or
tourism activities. At the same time, driven by the need to compete with other cities, urban
centers have invested heavily in imaging and branding processes. The extensive publicity
given to successful urban regeneration examples, such as that of Bilbao in Spain or
Glasgow in the United Kingdom, has also encouraged this phenomenon. The regeneration
of Bilbao started with the building of the Guggenheimmuseum, and continued to include the
conversion of old industrial plots into parks and cultural spaces. In contrast, the new image
of Glasgow as a cultural center was triggered by its nomination as a European Capital of
Culture in 1990. Mimicking these examples, cities have renovated themselves in terms of
space, activities and image. These regeneration projects have centered around waterfronts
and old factories, while city planners have strived to create icons and well known landmarks
DOI 10.1108/17506181011067565 VOL. 4 NO. 3 2010, pp. 171-175, Q Emerald Group Publishing Limited, ISSN 1750-6182
j
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CULTURE, TOURISM AND HOSPITALITY RESEARCH
j
PAGE 171
Maria D. Alvarez is
Associate Professor in
Department of Tourism
Administration, the School
of Applied Disciplines,
Bog? azic¸ i University,
Istanbul, Turkey.
Received December 2009
Revised January 2010
Accepted March 2010
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in order to promote the place. However, as cities attempt to distinguish themselves and
become competitive, they may fall into what Richards and Wilson (2006, p. 1210) term as
‘‘serial reproduction’’. According to these authors, as cities use similar strategies and proven
formulas in order to position themselves as unique, they also undermine their distinctiveness
and thus their ability to compete. In the face of this challenge, Richards and Wilson (2006)
advocate the use of strategies based on creativity rather than on cultural assets.
Creative tourism ‘‘which offers visitors the opportunity to develop their creative potential
through active participation’’ (Richards and Raymond, 2000, p. 18), may provide an
alternative strategy to that of cultural regeneration. At the same time, authors such as Florida
(2002) determine that places can obtain a competitive advantage by drawing residents of
what he terms ‘‘the creative class’’, that contribute to the development and innovation of the
city. Markusen and King (2003, cited in Currid, 2006) also state that those inhabitants that
engage in creative and artistic activities contribute to create a vibrant culture, which
becomes attractive to tourists, playing an important factor in the economic development of
the place.
As urban centers have moved from production-based to consumption led-growth, cities
have created spaces, activities and spectacles for the consumption of residents and
tourists. Both visitors and local inhabitants ‘‘enjoy the same activities and consume ‘the new
urban culture’’’ (Judd, 2003, p. 32) (quoted in Maitland, 2009, p. 8). In this context, cities
need to rethink their approaches to tourist experiences (Maitland, 2009), and they
accordingly strive to create unique structures and new spaces. This perspective has a
tremendous impact on cultural city tourism, as culture tourism products are no longer
created and marketed for the tourists only, but are also thought within a broader context that
includes raising the quality of life in the city. Flagship projects, cultural regeneration
undertakings and the development of creative industries in the city, all aim to address the
culture and leisure consumption needs of the local people, while providing a competitive
advantage to the city for tourism purposes.
Within this perspective, the international conference on Cities as Creative Spaces for
Cultural Tourism, held in Istanbul in November 2009, aimed at discussing creativity, culture
and tourism in relation to their contribution to the city, in the eve of the nomination of Istanbul
as the 2010 European Capital of Culture. The papers in this special issue have been
selected among those presented at the conference to give the reader a taste of the concepts
and ideas discussed. Thus, the special issue starts by introducing a discussion on the
meaning of tourism and the experiences that tourists have in the city, questioning the
distinction between tourist activities and everyday life, and distinguishing between spaces
for the provision of standardized tourist services or creative tourism activities. The
transformation of the city within creative regeneration and cultural processes that include the
creative industries provide food for thought regarding new developments of urban areas.
Within this framework, the case of Istanbul gives the reader a speci?c example of a city
where urban regeneration, economic growth and cultural development interact to transform
the place and to in?uence its tourism sector. Therefore, the last part of the special issue
focuses on Istanbul, examining various aspects of its current transformation, all within the
context of the Istanbul 2010 European Capital of Culture event.
Tourist experiences: creative tourism versus everyday life in the city
The ?rst article in the special issue by Robert Maitland draws on the idea that the boundaries
between tourists and residents are fading, and that visitors are increasingly interested in
experiencing the everyday life of residents in the city. Within this context, creating new areas
and icons that are experienced in a passive way is futile. Drawing on the experiences of
visitors to off the beaten track areas in London, Maitland reckons that gentri?ed areas and
other tourism consumption possibilities are attractive to tourists only when they are
combined with the appeal of the local inhabitants consuming the city in their everyday lives.
Furthermore, visitors to the city strive to ?nd new and undiscovered places, often away from
conventional touristic paths, and in doing so, they bring new meaning and interpretation to
the areas. The author concludes by pondering on the dilemma that cities face, as by making
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tourists aware of new and attractive areas for exploration, city planners also risk to make
these places touristic and consequently less valued.
As a complement to the previous paper, Salman and Uygur’s article debates the interrelation
between emotional labor and creative tourism concepts. This conceptual paper proposes a
model that incorporates two divergent spaces for creative tourists. On the one hand,
standardized areas that include accommodation units are generally designed to provide a
uniform experience to the tourists; these spaces are places where tourists move away from
the authentic culture of the destination, and where service providers attempt to provide
services under prescribed rules, often including the need for emotional labor in a staged
authenticity. On the other hand, spaces where creative activities are held are by de?nition
based on the authentic culture of the place, and ‘‘allowlocals to communicate their authentic
(socially-constructed) styles’’. Salman and Uygur propose that standardized spaces,
including hotels and accommodation units that cater to the creative tourists should transfer
the characteristics of the places where creative activities take place, and provide a
continuity of experiences between both areas.
These two papers analyze and ponder on the tourists’ experiences and their need for
authenticity and trails that are off the beaten track. The authors compel the reader to
question currently accepted concepts and practices, drawing attention to the dilemmas that
standard tourism practices may bring.
Creative industries and creative regeneration of the city
The next two papers in the special issue examine the contribution of creative activities and
creative regeneration projects on cultural tourism. Both articles examine illustrative cases in
order to draw conclusions about creative factors and question accepted premises.
In the ?rst article, Durmaz, Platt and Yigitcanlar examine the role of creative industries on
tourism and on the development of the city. By speci?cally focusing their analysis on the ?lm
industry, and by comparing the progress of this creative industry in both London and
Istanbul, the authors examine the development of creative clusters within the city, and the
factors that encourage or impede this development. Durmaz et al. also question whether the
places that are attractive for creative people are equally good for tourists, and conclude that
the links between creativity, regeneration and cultural tourismmay not be ‘‘as clear cut as the
literature suggests’’.
Sepe and Di Trapani address another aspect of the topic, and consider the relationship
between creative regeneration and cultural tourism. The authors examine how creative
clusters may result in innovation and economic development in the city. The paper analyzes
two illustrative cases of creative clusters in Spain, namely that of Bilbao and Zaragoza.
These projects show that ‘‘place identity, cultural sustainability and the involvement of the
population’’ play an essential role in urban regeneration projects. Thus, the case studies
examined represent examples of cultural regeneration that is aimed to the residents, visitors
and tourists.
Competitiveness of cities: assessing Istanbul in relation to other European cities
The third section in the special issue focuses on competitiveness issues. Minghetti and
Montaguti introduce a multidimensional approach to evaluate the attractiveness and
competitive advantage of a city, in relation to its competitors. Using nine indicators derived
from both secondary sources and experts’ opinions, the authors categorize eleven
European cities into four different clusters. This methodology provides the background for
the comparison of Istanbul with the other ten European cities analyzed. The authors include
Istanbul in the ‘‘young trendy cities’’ cluster, where the city currently competes with Prague
and Seville. However, the indicators analyzed also highlight the potential of a place to
progress towards a different cluster. In this sense, the authors state that ‘‘Istanbul’s pro?le
shows that the city will possibly evolve towards a cluster 1 pro?le [the ultimate cities],
heading to compete in the set with London, Paris and Barcelona’’. Thus, by comparing
VOL. 4 NO. 3 2010
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Istanbul with other competing European cities, this paper sets the stage for the ?nal section
in the special issue, the analysis of Istanbul as a case study that illustrates the concepts
discussed before.
Image, regeneration and development of Istanbul
The ?nal three articles in this special issue all treat different aspects of Istanbul as an
illustrative case study. Each paper exposes different facets of the city, while complementing
the other two.
Alt?nbas¸ak and Yalc¸ ?n’s article focuses on the perceptions of Istanbul, focusing on the role
that the city’s museums have on the image of this destination. Based on a survey of foreign
tourists at key museums throughout the city, the authors conclude that ‘‘Istanbul’s museums,
palaces and other historical areas constitute an important part of the city image’’.
Furthermore, the authors determine that despite the importance that the Istanbul 2010
European Capital of Culture event has for the city, only 58 percent of the foreign visitors are
aware of this nomination. Thus, this research provides important information concerning the
perceptions and image of Istanbul as a cultural city, especially in relation to its museums.
From a different perspective, Gezici and Kerimoglu evaluate the urban re-generation
process that Istanbul is undergoing, considering the relationship between culture and
tourism in this city. The authors examine several urban regeneration undertakings in Istanbul
from a critical perspective. Gezici and Kerimoglu criticize these projects, which take ‘‘a
consumption-led approach, with the goal of economic and property development’’, rather
than that of quality of life. Furthermore, the authors conclude that the projects are
fragmented and that they ignore their impact on the surrounding areas and on the people
who live in them.
The ?nal paper addresses the evolution of Istanbul to become a world city, focusing on
cultural indicators. From this perspective, Alvarez and Yarcan examine the synergetic
relationship between culture, tourism and economic development in the case of Istanbul.
The authors study the role of culture in positioning the city as a world city, and conclude that
from a cultural perspective, the reduced demand for cultural products from its inhabitants
limits the ability of the city to in?uence international cultural circles.
Conclusion
The collection of papers in this special issue addresses many questions that are vital for city
tourism. In this sense, the ability of cultural regeneration projects and creative clusters to
increase the attractiveness of the city for tourism is questioned. Furthermore, the selected
articles also query the experiences of the tourists and discuss the implications of providing
authentic experiences that extend to all spaces within the city, including the accommodation
units. As the last set of articles examines these issues within the context of Istanbul, a picture
of recent cultural, creative and tourism developments in this city emerges. As such, the case
of Istanbul constitutes an interesting example of a city that, although in?uential in history, has
developed economically, culturally and creatively only in recent times. Thus the application
of popular concepts and practices drawn from cities in the developed world needs to be
reassessed and reexamined when applied to urban concentrations in developing countries.
References
Currid, E. (2006), ‘‘New York as a global creative hub: a competitive analysis of four theories on world
cities’’, Economic Development Quarterly, Vol. 20 No. 4, pp. 330-50.
Florida, R. (2002), The Rise of the Creative Class and How It’s Transforming Work, Leisure, Community
and Everyday Life, Basic Books, New York, NY.
Judd, D. (2003), ‘‘Urban tourism and the geography of the city’’, EURE, Vol. 29 No. 87, p. 51.
Maitland, R. (2009), ‘‘Introduction: national capitals and city tourism’’, in Maitland, R. and Ritchie, B.W.
(Eds), City Tourism: National Capital Perspectives, CABI, Wallingford, pp. 1-13.
PAGE 174
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VOL. 4 NO. 3 2010
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Markusen, A. and King, D. (2003), The Artistic Dividend: The Arts Hidden Contribution to Regional
Development, Project on Industrial and Regional Economics, Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs,
University of Minnesota, St Paul and Minneapolis, MN.
Richards, G. and Wilson, J. (2006), ‘‘Developing creativity in tourist experiences: a solution to the serial
reproduction of culture?’’, Tourism Management, Vol. 27, pp. 1209-23.
Richards, R. and Raymond, C. (2000), ‘‘Creative tourism’’, ATLAS News, Vol. 23, pp. 16-20.
About the author
Maria D. Alvarez is an associate professor in the Department of Tourism Administration at
Bog? azic¸ i University. She holds a PhD in marketing from Bog? azic¸ i University (2003). She
carries out research in the area of tourist behavior, e-marketing and destination marketing.
Maria D. Alvarez can be contacted at: [email protected]
VOL. 4 NO. 3 2010
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PAGE 175
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This article has been cited by:
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Journal of Tropical Geography 36:10.1111/sjtg.2015.36.issue-2, 215-230. [CrossRef]
3. Hong-bumm Kim, Sanggun Lee. 2015. Impacts of city personality and image on revisit intention. International Journal of
Tourism Cities 1:1, 50-69. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
4. R. Daniel. 2014. Policy development and engagement: perspectives and insights from key stakeholders involved in the creative
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5. Ryan Daniel. 2014. Building the northern Australia vision through creative industries: the case of Cairns in far north
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6. Greg Richards. 2011. Creativity and tourism. Annals of Tourism Research 38, 1225-1253. [CrossRef]
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doc_565275321.pdf
The purpose of this editorial is to introduce the special issue on creative cities and cultural
spaces, as offering new perspectives for tourism.
International Journal of Culture, Tourism and Hospitality Research
Creative cities and cultural spaces: new perspectives for city tourism
Maria D. Alvarez
Article information:
To cite this document:
Maria D. Alvarez, (2010),"Creative cities and cultural spaces: new perspectives for city tourism", International J ournal of Culture, Tourism
and Hospitality Research, Vol. 4 Iss 3 pp. 171 - 175
Permanent link to this document:http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/17506181011067565
Downloaded on: 24 January 2016, At: 22:10 (PT)
References: this document contains references to 7 other documents.
To copy this document: [email protected]
The fulltext of this document has been downloaded 2210 times since 2010*
Users who downloaded this article also downloaded:
Marichela Sepe, Giovanni Di Trapani, (2010),"Cultural tourism and creative regeneration: two case studies", International J ournal of Culture,
Tourism and Hospitality Research, Vol. 4 Iss 3 pp. 214-227http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/17506181011067600
Lan-Lan Chang, Kenneth F. Backman, Yu Chih Huang, (2014),"Creative tourism: a preliminary examination of creative tourists’ motivation,
experience, perceived value and revisit intention", International J ournal of Culture, Tourism and Hospitality Research, Vol. 8 Iss 4 pp.
401-419http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/IJ CTHR-04-2014-0032
Robert Maitland, (2010),"Everyday life as a creative experience in cities", International J ournal of Culture, Tourism and Hospitality Research,
Vol. 4 Iss 3 pp. 176-185http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/17506181011067574
Access to this document was granted through an Emerald subscription provided by emerald-srm:115632 []
For Authors
If you would like to write for this, or any other Emerald publication, then please use our Emerald for Authors service information about
how to choose which publication to write for and submission guidelines are available for all. Please visit www.emeraldinsight.com/
authors for more information.
About Emerald www.emeraldinsight.com
Emerald is a global publisher linking research and practice to the benefit of society. The company manages a portfolio of more than
290 journals and over 2,350 books and book series volumes, as well as providing an extensive range of online products and additional
customer resources and services.
Emerald is both COUNTER 4 and TRANSFER compliant. The organization is a partner of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and
also works with Portico and the LOCKSS initiative for digital archive preservation.
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Guest editorial
Creative cities and cultural spaces: new
perspectives for city tourism
Maria D. Alvarez
Abstract
Purpose – The purpose of this editorial is to introduce the special issue on creative cities and cultural
spaces, as offering new perspectives for tourism.
Design/methodology/approach – The paper identi?es some key concerns that cities currently face
and introduces the articles in the special issue, remarking on the novel ideas and concepts provided in
these papers.
Findings – Creative tactics may provide an alternative to cultural regeneration strategies, and increase
the capability of cities to distinguish themselves from other competing places.
Originality/value – The paper identi?es key concepts that are further discussed in the articles included
in this special issue on ‘‘creative cities and cultural spaces: new perspectives for tourism’’.
Keywords Cities, Tourism, Urban regions, Culture, Economic development
Paper type General review
Introduction
The twenty-?rst century is seeing a profound transformation of cities, as urban centers are
abandoning manufacturing activities and becoming economically dependent on the service
sector, also moving fromproduction growth to consumption-led development (Richards and
Wilson, 2006). In parallel to this change, the measures used to assess the success of places
have also altered, so that in today’s world a thriving city is one that concentrates on the
tertiary sectors of production, including ?nance, technology and creative activities (Currid,
2006). Furthermore, cities increasingly compete to attract both tourists and investors in order
to bene?t from larger funds and ?nancial resources.
The deindustrialization of the city has also brought forward the challenge of reconverting old
manufacturing spaces, while revitalizing the urban economy. City planners have generally
addressed this problem by assigning these abandoned industrial zones to cultural or
tourism activities. At the same time, driven by the need to compete with other cities, urban
centers have invested heavily in imaging and branding processes. The extensive publicity
given to successful urban regeneration examples, such as that of Bilbao in Spain or
Glasgow in the United Kingdom, has also encouraged this phenomenon. The regeneration
of Bilbao started with the building of the Guggenheimmuseum, and continued to include the
conversion of old industrial plots into parks and cultural spaces. In contrast, the new image
of Glasgow as a cultural center was triggered by its nomination as a European Capital of
Culture in 1990. Mimicking these examples, cities have renovated themselves in terms of
space, activities and image. These regeneration projects have centered around waterfronts
and old factories, while city planners have strived to create icons and well known landmarks
DOI 10.1108/17506181011067565 VOL. 4 NO. 3 2010, pp. 171-175, Q Emerald Group Publishing Limited, ISSN 1750-6182
j
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CULTURE, TOURISM AND HOSPITALITY RESEARCH
j
PAGE 171
Maria D. Alvarez is
Associate Professor in
Department of Tourism
Administration, the School
of Applied Disciplines,
Bog? azic¸ i University,
Istanbul, Turkey.
Received December 2009
Revised January 2010
Accepted March 2010
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in order to promote the place. However, as cities attempt to distinguish themselves and
become competitive, they may fall into what Richards and Wilson (2006, p. 1210) term as
‘‘serial reproduction’’. According to these authors, as cities use similar strategies and proven
formulas in order to position themselves as unique, they also undermine their distinctiveness
and thus their ability to compete. In the face of this challenge, Richards and Wilson (2006)
advocate the use of strategies based on creativity rather than on cultural assets.
Creative tourism ‘‘which offers visitors the opportunity to develop their creative potential
through active participation’’ (Richards and Raymond, 2000, p. 18), may provide an
alternative strategy to that of cultural regeneration. At the same time, authors such as Florida
(2002) determine that places can obtain a competitive advantage by drawing residents of
what he terms ‘‘the creative class’’, that contribute to the development and innovation of the
city. Markusen and King (2003, cited in Currid, 2006) also state that those inhabitants that
engage in creative and artistic activities contribute to create a vibrant culture, which
becomes attractive to tourists, playing an important factor in the economic development of
the place.
As urban centers have moved from production-based to consumption led-growth, cities
have created spaces, activities and spectacles for the consumption of residents and
tourists. Both visitors and local inhabitants ‘‘enjoy the same activities and consume ‘the new
urban culture’’’ (Judd, 2003, p. 32) (quoted in Maitland, 2009, p. 8). In this context, cities
need to rethink their approaches to tourist experiences (Maitland, 2009), and they
accordingly strive to create unique structures and new spaces. This perspective has a
tremendous impact on cultural city tourism, as culture tourism products are no longer
created and marketed for the tourists only, but are also thought within a broader context that
includes raising the quality of life in the city. Flagship projects, cultural regeneration
undertakings and the development of creative industries in the city, all aim to address the
culture and leisure consumption needs of the local people, while providing a competitive
advantage to the city for tourism purposes.
Within this perspective, the international conference on Cities as Creative Spaces for
Cultural Tourism, held in Istanbul in November 2009, aimed at discussing creativity, culture
and tourism in relation to their contribution to the city, in the eve of the nomination of Istanbul
as the 2010 European Capital of Culture. The papers in this special issue have been
selected among those presented at the conference to give the reader a taste of the concepts
and ideas discussed. Thus, the special issue starts by introducing a discussion on the
meaning of tourism and the experiences that tourists have in the city, questioning the
distinction between tourist activities and everyday life, and distinguishing between spaces
for the provision of standardized tourist services or creative tourism activities. The
transformation of the city within creative regeneration and cultural processes that include the
creative industries provide food for thought regarding new developments of urban areas.
Within this framework, the case of Istanbul gives the reader a speci?c example of a city
where urban regeneration, economic growth and cultural development interact to transform
the place and to in?uence its tourism sector. Therefore, the last part of the special issue
focuses on Istanbul, examining various aspects of its current transformation, all within the
context of the Istanbul 2010 European Capital of Culture event.
Tourist experiences: creative tourism versus everyday life in the city
The ?rst article in the special issue by Robert Maitland draws on the idea that the boundaries
between tourists and residents are fading, and that visitors are increasingly interested in
experiencing the everyday life of residents in the city. Within this context, creating new areas
and icons that are experienced in a passive way is futile. Drawing on the experiences of
visitors to off the beaten track areas in London, Maitland reckons that gentri?ed areas and
other tourism consumption possibilities are attractive to tourists only when they are
combined with the appeal of the local inhabitants consuming the city in their everyday lives.
Furthermore, visitors to the city strive to ?nd new and undiscovered places, often away from
conventional touristic paths, and in doing so, they bring new meaning and interpretation to
the areas. The author concludes by pondering on the dilemma that cities face, as by making
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tourists aware of new and attractive areas for exploration, city planners also risk to make
these places touristic and consequently less valued.
As a complement to the previous paper, Salman and Uygur’s article debates the interrelation
between emotional labor and creative tourism concepts. This conceptual paper proposes a
model that incorporates two divergent spaces for creative tourists. On the one hand,
standardized areas that include accommodation units are generally designed to provide a
uniform experience to the tourists; these spaces are places where tourists move away from
the authentic culture of the destination, and where service providers attempt to provide
services under prescribed rules, often including the need for emotional labor in a staged
authenticity. On the other hand, spaces where creative activities are held are by de?nition
based on the authentic culture of the place, and ‘‘allowlocals to communicate their authentic
(socially-constructed) styles’’. Salman and Uygur propose that standardized spaces,
including hotels and accommodation units that cater to the creative tourists should transfer
the characteristics of the places where creative activities take place, and provide a
continuity of experiences between both areas.
These two papers analyze and ponder on the tourists’ experiences and their need for
authenticity and trails that are off the beaten track. The authors compel the reader to
question currently accepted concepts and practices, drawing attention to the dilemmas that
standard tourism practices may bring.
Creative industries and creative regeneration of the city
The next two papers in the special issue examine the contribution of creative activities and
creative regeneration projects on cultural tourism. Both articles examine illustrative cases in
order to draw conclusions about creative factors and question accepted premises.
In the ?rst article, Durmaz, Platt and Yigitcanlar examine the role of creative industries on
tourism and on the development of the city. By speci?cally focusing their analysis on the ?lm
industry, and by comparing the progress of this creative industry in both London and
Istanbul, the authors examine the development of creative clusters within the city, and the
factors that encourage or impede this development. Durmaz et al. also question whether the
places that are attractive for creative people are equally good for tourists, and conclude that
the links between creativity, regeneration and cultural tourismmay not be ‘‘as clear cut as the
literature suggests’’.
Sepe and Di Trapani address another aspect of the topic, and consider the relationship
between creative regeneration and cultural tourism. The authors examine how creative
clusters may result in innovation and economic development in the city. The paper analyzes
two illustrative cases of creative clusters in Spain, namely that of Bilbao and Zaragoza.
These projects show that ‘‘place identity, cultural sustainability and the involvement of the
population’’ play an essential role in urban regeneration projects. Thus, the case studies
examined represent examples of cultural regeneration that is aimed to the residents, visitors
and tourists.
Competitiveness of cities: assessing Istanbul in relation to other European cities
The third section in the special issue focuses on competitiveness issues. Minghetti and
Montaguti introduce a multidimensional approach to evaluate the attractiveness and
competitive advantage of a city, in relation to its competitors. Using nine indicators derived
from both secondary sources and experts’ opinions, the authors categorize eleven
European cities into four different clusters. This methodology provides the background for
the comparison of Istanbul with the other ten European cities analyzed. The authors include
Istanbul in the ‘‘young trendy cities’’ cluster, where the city currently competes with Prague
and Seville. However, the indicators analyzed also highlight the potential of a place to
progress towards a different cluster. In this sense, the authors state that ‘‘Istanbul’s pro?le
shows that the city will possibly evolve towards a cluster 1 pro?le [the ultimate cities],
heading to compete in the set with London, Paris and Barcelona’’. Thus, by comparing
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Istanbul with other competing European cities, this paper sets the stage for the ?nal section
in the special issue, the analysis of Istanbul as a case study that illustrates the concepts
discussed before.
Image, regeneration and development of Istanbul
The ?nal three articles in this special issue all treat different aspects of Istanbul as an
illustrative case study. Each paper exposes different facets of the city, while complementing
the other two.
Alt?nbas¸ak and Yalc¸ ?n’s article focuses on the perceptions of Istanbul, focusing on the role
that the city’s museums have on the image of this destination. Based on a survey of foreign
tourists at key museums throughout the city, the authors conclude that ‘‘Istanbul’s museums,
palaces and other historical areas constitute an important part of the city image’’.
Furthermore, the authors determine that despite the importance that the Istanbul 2010
European Capital of Culture event has for the city, only 58 percent of the foreign visitors are
aware of this nomination. Thus, this research provides important information concerning the
perceptions and image of Istanbul as a cultural city, especially in relation to its museums.
From a different perspective, Gezici and Kerimoglu evaluate the urban re-generation
process that Istanbul is undergoing, considering the relationship between culture and
tourism in this city. The authors examine several urban regeneration undertakings in Istanbul
from a critical perspective. Gezici and Kerimoglu criticize these projects, which take ‘‘a
consumption-led approach, with the goal of economic and property development’’, rather
than that of quality of life. Furthermore, the authors conclude that the projects are
fragmented and that they ignore their impact on the surrounding areas and on the people
who live in them.
The ?nal paper addresses the evolution of Istanbul to become a world city, focusing on
cultural indicators. From this perspective, Alvarez and Yarcan examine the synergetic
relationship between culture, tourism and economic development in the case of Istanbul.
The authors study the role of culture in positioning the city as a world city, and conclude that
from a cultural perspective, the reduced demand for cultural products from its inhabitants
limits the ability of the city to in?uence international cultural circles.
Conclusion
The collection of papers in this special issue addresses many questions that are vital for city
tourism. In this sense, the ability of cultural regeneration projects and creative clusters to
increase the attractiveness of the city for tourism is questioned. Furthermore, the selected
articles also query the experiences of the tourists and discuss the implications of providing
authentic experiences that extend to all spaces within the city, including the accommodation
units. As the last set of articles examines these issues within the context of Istanbul, a picture
of recent cultural, creative and tourism developments in this city emerges. As such, the case
of Istanbul constitutes an interesting example of a city that, although in?uential in history, has
developed economically, culturally and creatively only in recent times. Thus the application
of popular concepts and practices drawn from cities in the developed world needs to be
reassessed and reexamined when applied to urban concentrations in developing countries.
References
Currid, E. (2006), ‘‘New York as a global creative hub: a competitive analysis of four theories on world
cities’’, Economic Development Quarterly, Vol. 20 No. 4, pp. 330-50.
Florida, R. (2002), The Rise of the Creative Class and How It’s Transforming Work, Leisure, Community
and Everyday Life, Basic Books, New York, NY.
Judd, D. (2003), ‘‘Urban tourism and the geography of the city’’, EURE, Vol. 29 No. 87, p. 51.
Maitland, R. (2009), ‘‘Introduction: national capitals and city tourism’’, in Maitland, R. and Ritchie, B.W.
(Eds), City Tourism: National Capital Perspectives, CABI, Wallingford, pp. 1-13.
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Development, Project on Industrial and Regional Economics, Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs,
University of Minnesota, St Paul and Minneapolis, MN.
Richards, G. and Wilson, J. (2006), ‘‘Developing creativity in tourist experiences: a solution to the serial
reproduction of culture?’’, Tourism Management, Vol. 27, pp. 1209-23.
Richards, R. and Raymond, C. (2000), ‘‘Creative tourism’’, ATLAS News, Vol. 23, pp. 16-20.
About the author
Maria D. Alvarez is an associate professor in the Department of Tourism Administration at
Bog? azic¸ i University. She holds a PhD in marketing from Bog? azic¸ i University (2003). She
carries out research in the area of tourist behavior, e-marketing and destination marketing.
Maria D. Alvarez can be contacted at: [email protected]
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