Creativity, tourism, and development: the case of Emilia Romagna region, Italy

In order to shed light on the creative economy as a cross-topic in economic and sociological research, the paper focuses on the concept of “local creative system” (LCS) as a socio-territorial entity characterized by the high concentration of creative industries and by specific features and identity that facilitate the generation and diffusion of creativity. Focusing on two case studies related to the strategic role that the touristic sector has for Emilia Romagna’s economy – the Motor Valley and the Festival of Responsible Tourism IT.A.CÀ - the paper explores how tourism and cultural heritage engage in a virtuous circuit for regional competitiveness. Particularly, while in the former case we can observe a top-down strategy enacted by the Institutions to develop a territory that produce motors into a mass touristic attraction; in the latter case we are in front of a bottom-up approach endorsed by a wide range of local actors of the profit and non profit sector aimed at promoting the paradigm of responsible tourism as a tool of sustainable development.