TY - GEN
T1 - Portuguese Heritage in the UAE
T2 - 4th International Conference of the International Association of Cultural and Digital Tourism, IACuDiT 2017
AU - De Man, Adriaan
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2018, Springer International Publishing AG.
PY - 2018
Y1 - 2018
N2 - The relatively short-lived, early modern Portuguese military presence along the Omani coast, but also that of the nowadays United Arab Emirates, has left few physical remains. Some forts have been partially excavated, whilst others seem to have been so heavily reconstructed that their original layout remains invisible. As a result, they have little impact on the visitor experience. This paper seeks to provide a framework that renders these forts, and the narratives around them, pertinent in terms of authenticity. A second step deals with their integration as a potentially distinctive heritage resource. Both approaches need to ponder whether such structures are to become major tourist attractions, which seems unfeasible in the near future, yet destinations may still capitalize on them as part of an integrated marketing strategy. As an exercise, the following text can build on comparable examples, ranging from certain prehistoric sites to forms of intangible heritage, as their commodification faces, to some extent at least, similar challenges. In any case, in the heavily Dubai-centered tourism industry of the UAE, the sustainable use of cultural niche areas along the coast does fit well the national design for diversification.
AB - The relatively short-lived, early modern Portuguese military presence along the Omani coast, but also that of the nowadays United Arab Emirates, has left few physical remains. Some forts have been partially excavated, whilst others seem to have been so heavily reconstructed that their original layout remains invisible. As a result, they have little impact on the visitor experience. This paper seeks to provide a framework that renders these forts, and the narratives around them, pertinent in terms of authenticity. A second step deals with their integration as a potentially distinctive heritage resource. Both approaches need to ponder whether such structures are to become major tourist attractions, which seems unfeasible in the near future, yet destinations may still capitalize on them as part of an integrated marketing strategy. As an exercise, the following text can build on comparable examples, ranging from certain prehistoric sites to forms of intangible heritage, as their commodification faces, to some extent at least, similar challenges. In any case, in the heavily Dubai-centered tourism industry of the UAE, the sustainable use of cultural niche areas along the coast does fit well the national design for diversification.
KW - Authenticity
KW - Branding
KW - Forts
KW - Heritage management
KW - UAE tourism
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85092111248&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85092111248&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1007/978-3-319-67603-6_1
DO - 10.1007/978-3-319-67603-6_1
M3 - Conference contribution
AN - SCOPUS:85092111248
SN - 9783319676029
T3 - Springer Proceedings in Business and Economics
SP - 3
EP - 15
BT - Innovative Approaches to Tourism and Leisure - 4th International Conference, IACuDiT 2017
A2 - Katsoni, Vicky
A2 - Velander, Kathy
PB - Springer Science and Business Media B.V.
Y2 - 25 May 2017 through 27 May 2017
ER -