Abstract
The six articles in this special issue of the Journal of Vacation Marketing were all contributions to the Travel and Tourism Research Association (TTRA) Europe Chapter annual conference held in April 2011 in Archamps. This association is a chapter of the TTRA association based in the United States, which seeks to improve the travel and tourism industry through education, publications and networking activities.
The theme of the conference was ‘Creativity and Innovation in Tourism’. In keeping with this theme, the event had elements of both innovation and creativity in tourism organisation and service delivery.
The conference was organised jointly by the Université de Savoie, a public university, and César Ritz Colleges, a private sector higher education institution. Perhaps more innovatively the conference took place in two countries namely in Archamps in the Savoie region of France and in Bouveret within the Valais region of Switzerland. The other dimension of the conference topic was not ignored, with the delegates enjoying creative cuisine at the conference dinner on the shores of Lake Geneva!
Given the conference theme, it is not surprising that the papers submitted to the scientific committee covered a wide and diverse range of topics.
Some 50 papers were accepted for the conference, and it is from these that the six articles that make up this special issue were selected.
The articles ranged from highly theoretical explorations of emerging areas of research to case studies from industry.
Among the articles selected several topics were addressed and not surprisingly experiential marketing has attracted interest for both academics and professionals. For instance, the package experience viewed from senior travellers was analysed, experiential dimensions of gift was also addressed and the concept of satisfaction was revisited in a global approach with a study of Reunion Islands’ tourists. In terms of newer trends, the disintermediation of Italian hotel online buyers was addressed, while political messages delivered through slow food festivals were analysed. Lastly, mountain destination innovativeness was investigated through a study identifying its determining factors with a study on alpine destinations.
One of the outcomes of the event was, we believe, recognition that both creativity and innovation are topics that merit more research by tourism specialists.
It is clear that our understanding of both creativity and innovation in tourism would be greatly enhanced by more interdisciplinary research. However, the conference probably also reinforced the need for research that goes beyond our traditional disciplines. Indeed, there would be great value in research that looks at what is happening in other industries since tourism is not isolated from what takes place in other sectors.
Finally, and in the spirit of the ethos of TTRA, it is important that researchers in this area endeavour to disseminate their findings for the benefit of practitioners.
The editors hope that this small collection of articles will help to stimulate research in this important and emerging field.