Fomentar o turismo sustentável: Enquadrar a conceção de experiências criativas de impacto social

Resumo

Objectives Tourist behaviour has undergone considerable changes, reflecting a growing concern for sustainability, and encouraging the need to reconsider tourism strategies. Recently, creative tourism has been presented as a more sustainable mode of tourism based on learning, active participation, co-creation, creative self-expression, and local community engagement (Akdemir et al., 2023; Carvalho et al., 2019, 2023a, 2023b; Duxbury & Richards, 2019). Airbnb interest in several forms of activism corresponds to the natural access to lodging and communities (Dolnicar, 2021). Still, also its social impact experiences can foster the interest of a local community to promote a social or environmental cause within the tourism business. Hosts of these social impact experiences can be part of an NGO or non-profit organisation where Airbnb waives the 20% service fee for social impact experiences so that the full amount raised contributes directly to the social cause at hand. Arguably, Airbnb's social impact experiences (Dolnicar, 2021) embody the essence of creative tourism 4.0 (Carvalho et al., 2018; Richards, 2019), aligning sustainability with the sharing economy ethos, thus representing more sustainable forms for tourist engagement that can contribute positively to local communities (Caldicott et al., 2020). These examples can potentiate favourable social impacts within the creative tourism ecosystem (Richards, 2021; Salvado et al., 2020), inter alia advancing the objectives of sustainable development goals (SDGs) for tourism (Buhalis et al., 2023; Duarte et al., 2022). This ongoing research has the goal to develop a comprehensive framework for the design of Social Impact Creative Experiences. 

Methodology | Despite recent contributions having successfully provided tools for the design of creative tourism experiences (Almeida, 2023; Richards et al., 2019) while integrating the triple bottom line dimensions (Elkington, 2004; Stoddard et al., 2012), a social impact layer can be added more clearly and effectively, arguably enhancing the potential range for positive social impact experiences while focusing on the SGDs. Building on previous work on creative tourism experiences, and social impact experiences principles presented on the Airbnb platform, a thorough literature review was developed to develop a potential framework for the effective design of social impact creative tourism experiences addressing directly social causes in achieving the SDGs for creative tourism (Duarte et al., 2022). For this, a convenience sample was used (Given, 2008) and social impact experiences in Portugal will be chosen and its characteristics and reviews analysed using the software NVivo. The proposed framework will be based on a five-step fluid design process encompassing: a)          Inventory of tangible and intangible cultural tourism resources; b) Local community engagement; c) Identification of Social Impact Cause; d) Emotional storytelling and e) Allowing creativity and co-creation.

Main Results and Contributions | The research will present an innovative and integrative framework for the successful design of social impact creative tourism experiences aligned with the SDGs for tourism. By focusing on the processes of the development of such experiences while highlighting the importance of social causes, this can contribute to the active involvement of creative tourists in local action activities based on the idiosyncrasies of a given tourism destination while engaging with local social agents and local communities. This framework will facilitate the thoughtful design and seamless implementation of such experiences, helping tourism professionals and practitioners to better develop more integrating and engaging experiences and therefore local communities’ members and associations involved in social causes. 

Limitations | As an ongoing research, this contribution focuses mainly on creative tourism experiences not engaging for instance with creative events or creative networks as they are a very important part of the creative tourism ecosystem and consumption of creative tourism (Carvalho, 2020; Richards, 2021; Salvado et al., 2020). Also research directly connected to social impact experiences is still scarce as few studies share these approaches and Airbnb has mainly been studied concerning lodging (Dolnicar, 2021). Arguably this contribution can enhance knowledge on such important topics.

Conclusions | With the tourism system paying more attention to changes in tourism consumption, alternative and responsible forms of tourism are becoming mandatory. Within this context, Airbnb's social impact experiences encapsulate the core tenets of creative tourism 4.0. These experiences seamlessly align sustainability principles within the sharing economy paradigm, effectively representing sustainable forms of tourist engagement that hold the potential to foster positive outcomes for local communities. By harmonizing the principles of creative tourism with the potential of social impact experiences, this contribution aspires to create a blueprint for sustainable tourism practices that truly benefit both travellers and host communities alike.

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