Creativity as a source of differentiation in urban tourism: The case of Torino city

Cities tourist competition focus on the revalorization of endowed resources, such as historical and cultural heritage, and on created resources, such as flagship projects and iconic architectural buildings. This paper analyzes how creativity (creative planning and thinking) supports both approaches by developing a conceptual model that categorizes and explores four main urban competition strategies: exploitation, rediscovery, adaptability, and development/co-creation. Creativity drives competition and differentiation taking into account the tourist offer, the role of the private and the public players, the communication, and the consumption. Finally, it presents a case study of Torino city, identifying the creative tourism activities implemented.