The consequences of “the capital of Cool”. Creative entrepreneurs and the sustainable development of tourism in the urban context of Rotterdam

Shirley Nieuwland, Mariangela Lavanga

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

15 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

This article analyses how creative entrepreneurs perceive the development of tourism; it looks at creative placemaking in tourism and reflects on the role of creative entrepreneurs in the sustainable development of tourism. To do so, we conducted semi-structured interviews with creative entrepreneurs in the city of Rotterdam, the Netherlands. We choose a city in an early stage of tourism development but in a more advanced stage of culture-led urban regeneration. Although Rotterdam has a long history of strategies to change its image into a creative one, only recently has the city experienced an increase in media attention and a growing number of domestic and international tourists. This offers a unique opportunity to explore tourism development at an early stage. Our results nuance our understanding of the relations between creative entrepreneurs, placemaking, and tourism. Although the creative entrepreneurs in our sample consider themselves placemakers, issues such as equality, inclusiveness, and avoiding gentrification are still not adequately addressed. From a policy perspective, this study emphasises the need to take into account the fundamental question of whose city Rotterdam is and who benefits from the urban and tourism development strategy. Keywords: Creative entrepreneurships, sustainable development, creative placemaking, creative tourism, urban tourism
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1-18
Number of pages18
JournalJournal of Sustainable Tourism
Volume29
Issue number6
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 9 Nov 2020

Research programs

  • ESHCC A&CS

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'The consequences of “the capital of Cool”. Creative entrepreneurs and the sustainable development of tourism in the urban context of Rotterdam'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this