Drawing upon the implementation of an incubator and multidisciplinary collaborative research initiative – the CREATOUR project – which aims to develop a network of creative tourism initiatives in four Portuguese regions, the main purpose of this communication is to analyze the dynamics seen in the first stage of development of this network, settled with the implementation of 20 creative tourism pilot initiatives in in small cities and rural areas of Portugal. Specifically, this communication aims to present the monitoring results of the pre-implementation and after-implementation stages of the pilot projects, underlining the progress made in between this time frame. Using a Stakeholder Analysis and, complementarily, a Social Networks Analysis this communication will: (i) represent the relationships between the 20 creative tourism pilot initiatives (intra and interregional); as well as its relationship with other actors in each region; (ii) analyze the expectations of the actors regarding the relationships that can be established in the future, in the sense of creating a Portuguese Creative Tourism Network; (iii) demonstrate the added value of applying a methodology such as Strategic Stakeholder Analysis, in the process of involving and participating in the various pilot initiatives in a national and international network.

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creative tourism in small cities and rural areas,CREATOUR,stakeholder analysis,social network analysis