Expanded travel: using creative capital and ICT to extend the temporal boundaries of tourism experiences

ABSTRACT

This article explores the concept of ‘expanded travel’, which harnesses the potential of new technologies and creativity to extend tourism experiences temporally beyond the travellers’ synchronous, face-to-face stay at their destination while enhancing their active engagement with local communities. This concept – still emergent within academic literature – was put into practice preliminarily in 2019 by cultural consultancy firm Kalimera Estudio and travel agency Altaïr Viatges. By taking a detailed look at expanded travel, we aim to define it, understand its implications for stakeholders, and assess its transformative potential. To this end, the article first sets out a conceptual framework for expanded travel, drawing upon its key concepts (experience, creativity, ICT and co-creation). We then present in-depth qualitative research combining semi-structured interviews and case analyses. Our findings provide detailed insight into the characteristics and dimensions of expanded travel, its key components and the stakeholders involved. Finally, we outline pertinent future considerations and possible lines for follow-up research.

KEYWORDS:

• Expanded travel
• ICT
• creativity
• temporal dimensions of travel
• travel stages
• co-creation

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).