Barcelos, UNESCO Creative City: A Perspective Paper Of The Craftspeople

Barcelos is part of the UNESCO Creative Cities network in the category of Crafts and Folks Art, since 2017, however, according to a study by Gonçalves and Costa (2020), this fact was known by 5.1% of visitor’s respondents only, despite of being a territory of craftspeople and the birthplace of the “Rooster of Barcelos” (“Galo de Barcelos” in Portuguese language), one of the main symbols of the Portuguese tourism. This study aims at understanding how Creative Tourism might support the vitality of crafts, encourage a new generation of craftspeople, and contribute to the sustainable development of a territory being part of the UNESCO Creative Cities network. The data collection for this research was carried out through a “focus group” session (group interview), which is a qualitative research technique. It might be concluded that the development and implementation of a Creative Tourism project emerges as a priority and a tool for the sustainable development of the territory and crafts of Barcelos. Keywords: Tourism; Creative Experiences; Crafts; UNESCO Creative Cities.