Experience Development Through the Arts
Creative tourism invites visitors to engage with the region’s artistic life, not just as observers, but as participants.
Whether attending a local performance, participating in a hands-on workshop, or experiencing art in public spaces, these interactions create lasting impressions and foster a deeper cultural connection.
Arts-based tourism can take many forms, including small-scale exhibitions, artist residencies, community murals, pop-up performances, live music nights, and immersive storytelling experiences. These activities can activate public spaces, support regional artists, and strengthen place branding while offering something distinctive and reflective of local life.
Partnerships are key to success in this space. Operators and councils can work with local artists, arts organisations, or creative collectives to ensure experiences are authentic, inclusive, and artist-led. Consider involving creatives early in the process by co-designing programs, utilising place-based themes, and incorporating time for experimentation and collaboration.
The arts also create critical pathways for cultural inclusion, community engagement, and youth participation. Experiences don’t need to be large or polished to be powerful; they need to be grounded in local creativity and shared with care.
Explore the information below for strategies and inspiration.
In this section
Partnering with Artists, Musicians, Performers & Writers
Creative practitioners are at the heart of cultural tourism. Whether they are painters, sculptors, musicians, dancers, storytellers, or writers, artists bring local places and stories to life in unique and compelling ways. Collaborating with local creatives is one of the most powerful ways to enrich visitor experiences, support the local economy, and elevate cultural identity.
Partnerships with artists can take many forms:
- Commissioning original works inspired by local history or landscape
- Inviting musicians or performers to activate events, tours, or festivals
- Embedding writers or storytellers into interpretive experiences
- Co-designing workshops, creative trails, or place-based residencies
When partnering with artists, it’s important to engage early in the planning process and treat the relationship as a collaboration. This allows the creative vision to shape the experience from the ground up, not just as entertainment or add-on, but as a core component of the tourism product.
Be clear about:
- Roles, timelines, and budgets
- Artistic control and audience expectations
- Opportunities for community involvement
- Acknowledgement and crediting of creative contributors
Local councils and regional arts bodies, such as Southern Tablelands Arts and South East Arts, may be able to assist with identifying artists, developing expressions of interest, and brokering partnerships that reflect local talent and place-based stories.
These collaborations often lead to richer, more memorable visitor experiences, while also creating new platforms for artists to connect with audiences, grow their practice, and contribute to local economic resilience.
Hosting Events, Installations, Creative Workshops & Residencies
Events, exhibitions, and hands-on creative activities are key drivers of cultural tourism. They give visitors a reason to stop, stay longer, and engage more deeply with your place, and offer a dynamic platform for showcasing local talent and identity.
Creative events can take many forms, including:
- Temporary or touring exhibitions in regional galleries
- Public installations in parks, streetscapes, or heritage buildings
- Art trails and sculpture walks
- Live performances and pop-up activations
- Artist-led workshops in painting, ceramics, textiles, writing, or music
- Community arts festivals or seasonal celebrations
Workshops and residencies allow visitors to connect more personally with local creatives. These experiences are not only memorable, they also support skill-sharing, cultural exchange, and meaningful community interaction.
When designing creative events or activations, consider:
- Seasonality and alignment with local tourism peaks
- Venue suitability, access, and infrastructure
- Licensing, insurances, and permissions (especially for public art)
- Pricing, group sizes, and participant needs
- Promotion via local and tourism marketing channels
Working in partnership with artists, arts organisations, and local government can help build sustainable event models. Creative residencies, where artists spend time developing new work in a regional setting, can also serve as tourism drivers when paired with public programs, exhibitions, or workshops.
Creative activations don’t have to be large or complex to be successful. Small, well-crafted events that speak to place, people, and story can leave a lasting impression and encourage return visitation through word-of-mouth and repeat participation.
Supporting Place-Based Storytelling & Cultural Expression
At the core of arts-based tourism lies the opportunity to tell stories that are unique to a place, shaped by the people, landscapes, histories, and cultural practices that define the region. Whether expressed through music, visual art, theatre, or spoken word, place-based storytelling helps visitors build emotional connections and gain a deeper understanding.
Supporting cultural expression might include:
- Community-led storytelling projects that capture local memory and identity
- Public art or mural programs that reflect town character or history
- Audio tours or interpretive signage developed with artists or writers
- Performances that explore themes of migration, belonging, or local life
- Creative projects that celebrate underrepresented voices or social change
These initiatives not only spark visitor interest but also foster community pride and enhance the sense of place among residents.
To support storytelling through the arts:
- Engage community members, local creatives, and cultural organisations from the beginning
- Offer platforms for diverse stories and voices to be heard
- Respect cultural protocols, especially when working with First Nations content
- Collaborate with schools, youth groups, and multicultural associations for broad participation
- Ensure works are appropriately credited, documented, and celebrated
Place-based storytelling is most effective when it emerges organically from within the community. As a tourism operator or organisation, your role is to create the space, invitation, and support for those stories to be expressed, and to share them with visitors in ways that are authentic, respectful, and engaging.
Resources
- Create NSW
Create NSW offers a range of funding programs and initiatives to support artists, arts organisations, and cultural infrastructure across regional NSW. Grants may be provided for creative projects, public programs, regional touring, and community-led cultural tourism initiatives. - Regional Arts Development Organisations
Southern Tablelands Arts and South East Arts are regional bodies that support creative practice, cultural development, and community arts projects across Southern NSW. They offer project advice, connections with artists, and collaborative opportunities in the tourism space.
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Arts and Creative Industries
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