The Orange Economy, which encompasses creative and cultural industries, has become an essential driver for economic development and innovation. In the context of tourism, the integration of cultural and creative elements offers unique opportunities to differentiate destinations and enrich the visitor experience.
Creativity and culture are intertwined with the tourism sector, from music and art festivals to literary and gastronomic routes. It highlights the importance of valuing and promoting local cultural heritage as a tourist asset
Some significant success stories are examples of destinations that have been able to capitalize on their cultural wealth to attract tourists, such as:
Cartagena, Spain: With the project ‘Cartagena, City of Submarines’, the city seeks to establish itself as a historical, technological and tourist center linked to the underwater world.
Dominican Republic: The country is reinventing itself as a holiday destination by diversifying its offer beyond “sun and beach”, promoting areas such as Miches, Samaná and the Amber Coast, highlighting its cultural and natural diversity.
Innovation can drive sustainable practices in cultural tourism, from the use of digital technologies to preserve and promote heritage to the creation of interactive experiences that involve local communities.
However, destinations face some significant challenges when integrating the Orange Economy into their tourism offering, such as the need for specialized training, managing overcrowding and preserving cultural authenticity, without undermining the opportunities for economic and social development that arise from investing in innovative cultural tourism.
I think it is relevant to reflect on the importance of creativity and culture as pillars for innovation in tourism, inviting the actors in the sector to explore and adopt strategies that integrate the Orange Economy into their proposals.