Abstract

A consensus has not yet been reached worldwide regarding the concept of creative tourism. Since 2000, it has been considered as a kind of tourism that can offer tourists the opportunity to co-create and develop their creative potential. Internationally, networks and platforms have been developed to profile and promote this kind of tourism but these organizations have not been systematically examined. In 2017, an investigation was carried out to identify and analyze existing practices, primarily using qualitative methods and focusing on content analysis. Research was conducted using Google (to locate websites) and a database with 20 analysis topics was created. An in-depth analysis was made of the platforms and networks in creative tourism that are being developed worldwide, and the initiatives undertaken by each institution. The main results show that not all initiatives referred to as ‘creative experiences’ have identifiable creative content or focus, or can be considered to have something to do with co-creation. Some of the institutions have more learning experiences than creative ones. Most of them can be found in southern Europe and the existing ones may still be diversified in the future.