ABSTRACT
This chapter defines and critiques the concept of ‘creativity’, positioning it in its changing meanings and applications within society generally and in relation to tourism in particular. These observations are made acknowledging the shifting cultural landscapes within society from the Renaissance, to modern, post-modern and post-industrial societies and the emergence of the cultural economy. In discussing the melding of creativity and industry, now firmly established within the parlance of policy communities notably in Western, ‘developed’ economies, there are issues with the amalgamation of two concepts which are potentially dissonant and mutually exclusive in their respective meanings. This is consistent with the emergence, particularly in North American and European cities, of clusters of artistic and creative communities and milieux where their raison d’être is broader than (and perhaps antagonistic to) the pursuit of commercial gain and being appropriated and assimilated into creative industry and cultural tourism strategies.
