Author Information
Lloyd Robinson, Northumbria University, United KingdomAbstract
As cultural tourism becomes an important focus for policy and research, the synergy of culture, art and other built environment disciplines in urban tourism is significant and relevant in cities. While architectural and artistic structures can be listed as landmarks and cultural focal points, studies on tourism locations have largely treated heritage and ecotourism sites as prime locations in geographical terms. This paper is an empirical analysis on the current state of artistic and socio-cultural icons in sub-Saharan African cities that examines the transformation of urban spaces within the field of urban tourism. Analyzing the city of Abuja, Nigeria this paper assesses the relationship between iconic structures and the city, the relative power they both have over urban tourism, and the utilization of an aesthetic and cultural model for place-making. Through an ethnographic approach, this analysis is carried out in the contexts of culture, art, and history, and mediated by urban spaces. As evident from findings, the place-making transformation of the city is driven by the need to create vibrant cultural scenes and attract both local and foreign tourists. Some themes emerge from this study that show tensions between cultural commodification and community empowerment and show that the physical change of Abuja is driven by a desire to create vibrant scenes and attract visitors. These changes have implications for tourism policy in Abuja and other cities in sub-Saharan Africa. This paper contributes to a deep understanding of cultural heritage and tourism and highlights the need for sustainable urban development that prioritizes cultural sensitivity and community engagement.
Paper Information
Conference: IICAH2026Stream: Humanities - Aesthetics, Design
This paper is part of the IICAH2026 Conference Proceedings (View)
Full Paper
View / Download the full paper in a new tab/window
To cite this article:
Robinson L. (2026) Appropriating Cultural Aestheticism in Urban Tourism ISSN: 2432-4604 – The IAFOR International Conference on Arts & Humanities – Hawaii 2026 Official Conference Proceedings (pp. 259-271) https://doi.org/10.22492/issn.2432-4604.2026.23
To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.22492/issn.2432-4604.2026.23
Comments
Powered by WP LinkPress