Getting youth on board with co-creative tourism

Creative tourism, known for its role in fostering sustainable development, holds potential for revitalizing small towns and rural communities by empowering local stakeholders. As an understudied segment of the sustainable agenda and creative tourism niche, youth plays a vital role in the pursuit of relevant development strategies. This case study exploratory analysis of Miranda do Douro, a rural community in Portugal, aims to understand the most effective ways to encourage local youth to participate in co-creative tourism activities. Through benchmarking and content analysis of semi-structured interviews of both local youth and adult stakeholders, key themes emerged regarding youth motivation and success factors. Findings suggest that youth and adult stakeholders believe their participation in co-creation could help achieve steps toward sustainable development by helping to preserve the culture, creating relevant skill building opportunities for youth and decreasing the negative effects of rural exodus. The research provided an insight to the perspectives of youth in creative tourism and the disconnect between youth and adult stakeholders. Empirically, it provided practical ‘strategies for success’, induced from the analysis, and backed by literature, for organizations looking to promote youth engagement in co-creative tourism activities.