Industrial remains can be found in many regions that experienced industrialization. However, they are, in general, at risk of loss through destruction and abandonment. Promoting tourism can be a helpful tool for regional restructuring and economic development. The creative economy is also emerging as a powerful tool for reinvigorating economic growth, employment and social cohesion of those areas, which may affect the development of touristic activities and industries. However, little research has been done to link creative economy theory and industrial heritage tourism. This paper elaborates on and clarifies the link between industrial heritage tourism and creative economy, and illustrates the impact of creativity and the driving role of the creative class in industrial heritage tourism through a case study. The study site, 798 art zone, is a newly emerged tourism destination in China which developed based on an abandoned soviet-style factory. Through analyzing the initiation status of tourism development in the factory, the interests of visitors, the influences of tourism, and the role of artists, the research reveals the dramatic change under the impact of tourism and more recently added development boom that has taken place at the 798 art zone. The findings identify the characteristics of 798 art zone in different periods and the contributions of the artist community to the art zone. Unlike most industrial heritage tourism sites, the development of 798 art zone was bottom up owing to the creativity of artists. With their creative eyes, artists identified the special features of the abandoned factory (high ceilings, historic design, open spaces, and abundant natural light), and used their creativity to add artistic feelings to this area. When the factory was facing the fate of being razed, they pulled together. With their efforts, the factory was preserved and 798 art zone was acknowledged by the government. The results are in accord with the creative economy theory that creativity is the driving force of economic development and improve the understanding of how creativity and tourism interact. The development pattern of 798 art zone might not apply precisely to any other places in the world, but it provides an effective alternative model for revitalization of old industrial sites as well as other tourism sites. Some management related suggestions and concerns about 798 art zone and tourists profile are proposed. Both practical implications and academic insights are presented based on the major findings of this study.

Industrial remains can be found in many regions that experienced industrialization. However, they are, in general, at risk of loss through destruction and abandonment. Promoting tourism can be a helpful tool for regional restructuring and economic development. The creative economy is also emerging as a powerful tool for reinvigorating economic growth, employment and social cohesion of those areas, which may affect the development of touristic activities and industries. However, little research has been done to link creative economy theory and industrial heritage tourism. This paper elaborates on and clarifies the link between industrial heritage tourism and creative economy, and illustrates the impact of creativity and the driving role of the creative class in industrial heritage tourism through a case study. The study site, 798 art zone, is a newly emerged tourism destination in China which developed based on an abandoned soviet-style factory. Through analyzing the initiation status of tourism development in the factory, the interests of visitors, the influences of tourism, and the role of artists, the research reveals the dramatic change under the impact of tourism and more recently added development boom that has taken place at the 798 art zone. The findings identify the characteristics of 798 art zone in different periods and the contributions of the artist community to the art zone. Unlike most industrial heritage tourism sites, the development of 798 art zone was bottom up owing to the creativity of artists. With their creative eyes, artists identified the special features of the abandoned factory (high ceilings, historic design, open spaces, and abundant natural light), and used their creativity to add artistic feelings to this area. When the factory was facing the fate of being razed, they pulled together. With their efforts, the factory was preserved and 798 art zone was acknowledged by the government. The results are in accord with the creative economy theory that creativity is the driving force of economic development and improve the understanding of how creativity and tourism interact. The development pattern of 798 art zone might not apply precisely to any other places in the world, but it provides an effective alternative model for revitalization of old industrial sites as well as other tourism sites. Some management related suggestions and concerns about 798 art zone and tourists profile are proposed. Both practical implications and academic insights are presented based on the major findings of this study.

Marketing material used in promotion of industrial heritage sites for tourism creates representations of said cultural heritage. In order to increase the touristic value of the historical industrial sites marketers can create or make a place attractive through careful selection of images and texts. It is believed that simplifying the image can make it comprehensible and thus more attractive to potential visitors. However, simplifying images of heritage can result in creation of stereotypical representations. This research aimed to analyse what representations of the industrial heritage of Bergslagen, in the middle of Sweden, could be found in marketing material of tourism destinations today. Post-feminist theory was applied as a tool for analysis of the content as a contextual and critical perspective in order to interpret what meanings these representations found were conveying. By understanding the data in relation to androcentric discourse and the context of Bergslagen as a patriarchal system representations of continued polarization of gender was found. By conducting a content analysis of three destinations, Långban, Engelsbergs bruk and Axmar Bruk, four dominating themes of their representations in visual and textual promotional material were found. The narratives in the re-imagination and reproduction of the sites and their industrial heritage were also discovered during the analysis. The findings thus indicated that the marketing perpetuated stereotypes of the inherent gender roles that have existed in the past but were accentuated even through the modern mediums. As tourism is a tool for rejuvenation of industrial heritage sites it is important to note that, the need for increasing the attractiveness by consciously or unconsciously deciding which narratives should be told, marketers act as facilitators of generic ideas and impositions. When trying to simplify something as complex as a heritage, meaning can become lost in translation. The representations can become distorted, which they have in Bergslagen, according to the findings of this research. Representations can thus inform us of what is being marginalized. The understanding and interpretations of the representations can therefore become a resource in the marketing the real and genuine heritage.