Creativity and innovation in tourism: the role of events

For a local tourist system, the ability to innovate its offers becomes a crucial strategic factor in global competition with other destinations. The study first discussed the conceptual links among creativity, innovation, and tourist areas, following two basic perspectives: territorial or destination level and individual company or organization level. The goal is to clarify the relationships between creativity, innovation and territory through knowledge transmission and sharing within the geographically located and interconnected system of actors. On the empirical level, the aim is to analyze cases of Italian events, highlighting underlying creative and innovative processes. The chapter has important managerial implications. At meta-level management it highlights the role of the learning destination, while at the organizational level it stresses the key role of the project team in making events effective.