Perspective of tourism companies in Barcelona of co-creative experiences

Abstract

This study explores the phenomenon of co-creation and its interpretation by experience companies in the tourism industry. The aim of the research is to understand to which extent entreprises in the tourism sector are willing and able to co-create experiences with their consumers; in other words, which efforts do they make towards co-creative experiences, and how and when are these practices carried out. This paper reviews the literature concerning the significance of co-creation of tourism experiences; the difference between co-creation and co-production; the dimensions of co-creation in the tourism sector; the practices which concern customer participation; and the existence of innovative tools which aid with the gathering of feedback. The research applied in this study is that of qualitative content analysis using Netnography. This was performed through a hybrid strategy of inductive and deductive approaches. Information was gathered using a triangulation of data. To achieve this, a set of semi-structured interviews to professionals of different types of companies in the tourism sector was carried out; together with observation of these same companies through field notes; and online participation of their products through a Netnographer’s diary. The results of this study show that the paradigm of co-creation is still not reality in the tourism sector, as companies are not aware and do not fully understand the concept of co-creation. Furthermore, results show that efforts which might be considered as co-creative are actually carried out in aims of product improvement. Limitations of this study are suggested, as well as a set of recommendations which could be valuable to enterprises in the tourism sector. Finally, opportunities for future research in this area are proposed. Keywords: co-creation, tourism experience, active participation, value creation, innovation