25 Years of creative tourism: Are we being creative enough?

This research note reports on a panel discussion held at the 2025 ATLAS Conference on 25 years of creative tourism development. Since creative tourism was first defined in 2000, the concept has gone through an evolution from a narrow base of craft workshops towards a broader articulation of creativity and tourism. Three panellists discuss the evolution of creative tourism in the past quarter-century, with the aim of highlighting the origins of the concept and its contribution to different areas of tourism. Themes covered include the development of co-creation in tourism and the relationship between creative tourism, wellbeing and eudaimonia. The note concludes with a consideration of the policy implications of the development of creative tourism.