Buenos Aires. Shared Imaginaries, Tourism, and the Creative City

This chapter examines Buenos Aires’ strategy to transform its perception as a city through public administration action, with the aim of promoting cultural and artistic aspects in public spaces. The main objective is to analyze the impact of this rebranding strategy promoted by the local government on the development of creative tourism in the city. We observe how the public administration has used this strategy to invest in cultural and creative infrastructures that have enriched neighborhoods such as La Boca, San Telmo, and Palermo. In this context, tourism plays a fundamental role in urban dynamics. The emergence of various types of creative tourism, alongside the more conventional ones, has allowed Buenos Aires to consolidate itself as a reference point for art and culture at national, regional, and international level. This scenario raises a central question that will guide the development of this chapter: How has Buenos Aires’ rebranding strategy, focused on the promotion of culture and art in public space, influenced the evolution of creative tourism in the city?