Intimacy in the creative tourist experience

Purpose Research has revealed authenticity and intimacy as inherent and important qualities of many tourism spaces. Intimacy, in particular, has received little attention in creative tourism studies. Therefore, this paper aims to explore the ways in which tourists articulate experiences of intimacy in creative holidays. Design/methodology/approach A total of 73 testimonials posted by creative tourists on the internet platform Vacation With An Artist are inductively analyzed following a constructivist bricolage methodological approach. Both thematic analysis and the constant comparative methods are used to make sense of the textual data. Findings Four main themes characterize intimacy in the creative tourist experience, namely, the domestic sphere, mentors, embodiment and experiences of bonding with meaningful others. This study suggests that creative tourism appears to be a path toward more authentic forms of cultural tourism and host–guest intimacy. Social implications Collaborative and creative heritage-based experiences are presented as an antidote against superficial tourist–host encounters based on mere economic exchange. The creative tourist experience, underpinned by a desire for authenticity and intimacy, has the potential to forge strong social connections and to foster positive emotions and cultural sensitivity. It is argued that through collaborative, creative experiences, tourists are more likely to contribute to a fairer allocation of power and control of resources and to more widely contribute to the well-being of the wider community. Originality/value Experiences of intimacy have received little attention in creative tourism research. This study represents the first empirical attempt, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, at specifically exploring this socio-psychological phenomenon.