Why tourism doesn't need heroes...
Every place is unique, even if it doesn't have unique attractions to offer.
I first heard the term 'moonshot' in the early 2010s in Stratford, Ontario. Someone had a very ambitious idea (in this case: Tom Patterson, an Ontarian journalist), and although it seemed far too grand (becoming the largest theatre festival in North America) for this small place, it became a reality. Sometimes exceptional things happen in places, putting them on the world map.
Turin, with its rich history and size, often aimed for the moon. These significant moments are well- known, but the ones most frequently referenced in the capital of Piedmont are Giovanni Agnelli deciding to build cars and calling them Fiat, having been the capital of Italy and the 2006 Winter Olympics. There is still great admiration for the then-mayor Valentino Castellani, a visionary man.
You often hear the desire for new and grand events that will give our city a new boost People want to attract a major event, build a new landmark, or invest in new transport means. These things can be incredibly enriching and significantly enhance a place's reputation (though not always; some cities fail by aiming too high, like those burdened with debt for decades after hosting the Olympics). However, they can also be paralyzing. It's like doping: the danger is becoming dependent on it. We expect everything from a new hero, using it as an excuse to wait in the meantime.
We think of cities just like ourselves: we are afraid of not being unique enough and always expect confirmation from outside. The truth is, just as every person is unique, so is every place.
Every place is unique, even if it doesn't have unique attractions to offer, because uniqueness is the sum of everything that has made a place what it is: history, economy, environment, geography, climate, culture, tradition, customs, and politics. Not everyone has an Eiffel Tower or a pyramid, but the combination of all elements that form your city's blueprint is unique to every place. Those tasked with marketing a city often take too many things for granted.
What about your city or town? Are you also waiting for a new hero? Or are you managing to cleverly use your own identity with all its strengths and weaknesses? As we work with Turin for three years,
A quote from one of Italy's most famous authors is more than fitting here. Italo Calvino wrote in his novel Invisible Cities:
"You take delight not in a city's seven or seventy wonders, but in the answer it gives to a question of yours."
Tourism shouldn't always seek new or spectacular attractions but should instead seek the people with the right question for what you have to offer.
FRANK CUYPERS
Founder Place Generation
VivaCity is an initiative of CityDNA and Simpleview and Place Generation.