Art tourism and urban development in Mussafah, Abu Dhabi – a business owners’ perspective

Abstract

ABSTRACT Drawing on the emerging body of knowledge on art tourism, this paper aims to examine whether and how the development and promotion of forms of art could act as a catalyst for tourism and urban development in Mussafah, Abu Dhabi’s commercial and industrial district. More specifically, this work focuses on the perceptions of a specific group of stakeholders, namely Emiratis who own a business in the area, to understand the role of art in propelling urban change in a non-post-industrial city. Overall, the empirical material, co-constructed during a series of focus groups, seems to highlight business owners’ support for art tourism initiatives as these are perceived as vehicles to attract visitors to the area and increase their businesses’ profitability. However, the multiple (and often divergent) views expressed on the types of art to consider for art tourism development also unveil the problematic role of art objects and expressions in representing and promoting the perceived main characteristics of a cultural group.