This article proposes a novel management model for cultural, creative, and historic tourism cities. The creation of the model is based on previous literature and in the study of Barrio de las Letras, in Madrid, to identify the key components to successfully develop creative tourism ecosystems. The model integrates the literature on city center management and, unlike previous studies, incorporates missing elements, such as the role of small businesses associations and collaboration networks among diverse stakeholders to develop a cultural–historic tourism ecosystem. This model represents a proposal that supports the coexistence of the private and public sector and sustainable governance models that integrate the inhabitants of city centers with the economic activity generated by urban tourism. The model was developed by an analysis of secondary sources, interviews with key informants, and questionnaires of entrepreneurs located in a recently invigorated cultural and historic neighborhood. The contribution of knowledge offered by this paper is the proposition of a management model that can aid town centers to create competitive cultural/creative/historic tourism ecosystems while still preserving the sustainability of their social/commercial fabric. Therefore, the collaboration of cultural organizations, hospitality industry and retail can promote cultural, creative, and sustainable management model of historic urban centers.

Purpose: The theoretical framework of this study focuses on the trends towards experiential tourism and new communication channels in the tourist sector. The specific areas of action that are covered in this research work focus on: a definition of experiential tourism, an analysis of markets as a resource of experiential tourism and communication strategies and the use of social media by the markets of Madrid to interact with the new experiential consumer.Design/methodology/approach: This paper is arranged as follows: first, a review of the documents on new tourist sector trends towards the demand of experiential tourism, on marketing 2.0 and on social media has been carried out; second, communication strategies of the food markets seen as tourist resources are described herein, including results of the research in the use of social media; and finally, conclusions of the study are developed.Findings: According to the conceptual approach and after reviewing the documents cited in this paper, it is possible to conclude that food markets are tourist resources that shall be exploited as “experiential providers” for a market niche that is increasingly demanding and expects to have a “tourist experience”. The present paper contributes to the literature on experiential tourism, including new communication strategies as a tool to contact experiential tourists. Accordingly, an analysis is carried out of a specific product/resource, such as the food markets of Madrid as resources or experiential leisure centers, and a study on product strategies (offer of experiences) and communication strategies on their experiential tourism offer fundamentally based on social media and websites.Research limitations/implications: Although this work represents an in-depth study of the food markets analyzed, the research could be extended to other markets or to other cities that are also working with markets as experiential tourism resources, though not in a structured design as in Madrid.Practical implications: This work is different from previous studies for several reasons. In the first place, food markets are integrated as elements for the study of experiential tourism as tourist resources, and second, commercial interaction and other types of productive activities in urban centers are considered. In particular, social relations and collaboration between small retailers in markets, their managers and the institutions responsible for tourism management in the city of Madrid are barely analyzed in the literature. This includes the collaboration between public (Madrid City Council), cultural and business institutions (Madrid Fusión and Gastrofestival), hospitality and other businesses (established in the food markets) to promote cultural experiences and historic tourism.Social implications: The performed study has several implications for employers and policymakers. As historical, cultural and experiential tourism are growing trends throughout the world, new tourist consumer profiles must be analyzed. There are new groups of tourists looking for unique experiences and “local” activities, eager to visit renovated urban historical centers with a developed experiential leisure offer. This tourist activity facilitates the rebirth of the traditional food markets and promotes the creation of jobs and new opportunities for traditional businesses as shown in the present case study focused on the markets of Madrid.Originality/value: The present paper contributes to the literature on experiential tourism, including new communication strategies as a tool to contact experiential tourists. Accordingly, an analysis is carried out of a specific product/resource, such as the food markets of Madrid as resources or experiential leisure centers, and a study on product strategies (offer of experiences) and communication strategies on their experiential tourism offer fundamentally based on social media and websites. The role played by food markets in the creation of an experiential tourism offer in Madrid and the communication strategies generated by them is described in this research. This study not only sheds light on the changes undergone by the tourist demand, specifically urban tourism but also it helps understand some of the strategies that big tourist cities are implementing in historic centers to reduce the risks of mass tourism.

La demanda turística actual está viviendo una gran transformación. La experiencia se ha convertido en objeto esencial del viaje y el cliente siente cada vez más la necesidad de experimentar un destino para optimizar su vivencia del mismo. En este contexto, el turismo gastronómico adquiere gran relevancia y los mercados de abastos se posicionan como espacios turísticos. El caso de la ciudad de Madrid sirve para ilustrar esta realidad, donde los mercados se convierten en recursos culturales, es decir, espacios que reivindican la gastronomía y el estilo de vida local como experiencia turística.

The COVID-19 pandemic created novel conditions for researching travel behavior and tourists’ reactions in times of crisis, which largely differs from previous studies of travel behavior affected by local risks or lower travel and recreational risks. This study aims to provide an understanding of the relationship between tourist personality (MINI IPIP-6 and sensation seeking), tourists’ reactions to travel risk perception and changes in their travel behavior influenced by the COVID-19 pandemic. To explore this, a global survey including 905 respondents from four countries (Spain, Croatia, Serbia and Russia) was conducted, while data were analyzed by Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) in AMOS. The findings suggest that tourist personality affects the changes in travel behavior influenced by COVID-19, both directly and via their reactions to travel risk.

La disrupción generada por la economía inteligente y por la economía colaborativa en el entorno exige la capacidad de reinventarse a los destinos turísticos y partes interesadas. Se detecta la necesidad de un nuevo modelo de destino turístico inteligente que integre las 3’s (Smart, Share y Sustainability). Mediante el estudio de caso de Madrid, se ilustra el impacto de los alojamientos turísticos de Airbnb en el territorio mediante determinados indicadores cuantitativos. Por medio de un análisis clúster se realizan diversas agrupaciones de los distritos, en función de distintos indicadores (nº de alojamientos, nº de alojamientos/ y precio medio de los alojamientos) que permiten medir el grado de impacto de los alojamientos turísticos de alquiler (Airbnb) en el territorio. Se complementa el análisis de los alquileres turísticos, agrupando los distritos en función del precio de los alquileres destinados a uso permanente (Fotocasa), a fin de tener una imagen más fidedigna de la vivienda en alquiler en la capital española. Por último, se sugieren distintas soluciones para la descongestión de determinados distritos, resaltando la posibilidad del uso de inteligencia artificial mediante algoritmos para una gestión eficaz de los destinos; así como se acentúa la importancia de guiar las actuaciones gubernamentales hacia la sostenibilidad del destino.