Hospitality and Heritage Tourism Production in the Northern Emirates

Location factors represent key determinants for the commercial development of heritage resources. The uniqueness of UAE regions not immediately bordering the international tourism hubs of Dubai and Abu Dhabi provides a number of challenges and opportunities. While this may come over as self-explanatory, a multiplicity of local configurations results in specific forms of heritage-based tourism supply. The corresponding dynamics are based on several different variables, two of which, namely hotel offerings and archaeological sites, are analyzed below. The purpose of this paper is to situate both elements within their cultural landscapes and to identify pain points together with competitive advantages and sustainable ways forward. As expected, results indicate irregular geographical realities, in addition to an empirical degree of heritage-induced clustering. Conclusions on the supply side are twofold. First, one observes the integration of sites into wider cultural tourism products. Second, the hospitality sector is able to capitalize on local heritage as a layer of distinctiveness.