Abu Dhabi Local Residents Perceptions on Tourism Development

Abstract

<p>Ovaj rad predstavlja sliku savremenog Abu Dabija u kontekstu razvoja turizma, sa&nbsp;<br />osvrtom na doba&nbsp; pre otkrića nafte. Komercijalna eksploatacija nafte je donela&nbsp;dramatičan preokret i za života samo jedne generacije stanovni&scaron;tva transformisala jedno od najsiroma&scaron;nijih mesta na Zemlji u najbogatije dru&scaron;tvo dana&scaron;njice. Mesto koje je do pre manje od pola veka bilo zaboravljeno od sveta, zahvaljujući munjevitom razvoju naftne ekonomije i prepoznatoj potrebi za diverzifikacijom iste, pojavljuje se na svetskoj turističkoj sceni 21-og veka u punom sjaju bogatstva i progresa. Strate&scaron;ki razvoj turizma definisan vizijom&nbsp; Abu Dhabi Vision &nbsp;2030, osim restrukturisanja privrede ima za cilj i promenu imidža zemlje tj. repozicioniranje na svetskom trži&scaron;tu i udaljavanje od decenijama starog imidža svetskog proizvođača nafte. Razvoj novih privrednih grana i unapređenje destinacije ka stvaranju mesta prijatnog za život i odmor, kako rezidenata tako i turista, usred surovog prirodnog okruženja, stvara specifičane ambijentalne uslove. To je jedinstven &nbsp;prirodno -kulturni ambijent, isprepletan modernim i starinskim, gde sa neshvatljivom &nbsp;lakoćom koegzistiraju najnovija tehničko -tehnolo&scaron;ka dostignuća i tradicionalne navike. Sledeći opredeljenje za razvojem kulturnog turizma, ova destinacija spaja dve dimenzije kulture: pro&scaron;lu&nbsp; &ndash;&nbsp; kroz lokalno kulturno nasleđe i buduću&nbsp; &ndash;&nbsp; kroz globalni kulturni doma&scaron;aj koji prevazilazi nacionalne i geografske granice težeći &scaron;irenju znanja i boljeg razumevanja među ljudima.</p><p>Ocena rezidenata o uticajima turizma kao i njihova podr&scaron;ka za isti zavise od toga &scaron;ta oni cene u okviru svog sistema vrednosti. Empirijska istraživanja pokazuju da su rezidenti mnogih lokacija spremni da prihvate neke negativne posledice turizma ukoliko su percipirane koristi veće. Kao potro&scaron;ač fizičkog i socijalnog prostora turizam ponekad preterano tro&scaron;i lokalne resurse, dovodeći do negativnih, čak katastrofalnih posledica. Ovaj rad je uzeo u obzir faktore koji su u mainstream literaturi identifikovani kao uticajni u određivanju, razumevanju i obja&scaron;njavanju percepcija lokalnih rezidenata prema turizmu. On treba da doprinese boljem razu mevanju percepcija stanovni&scaron;tva Abu Dabija o uticajima turističkog razvoja i pomogne planerima, promoterima i donosiocima poslovnih odluka da shvate čime su rezidenti zabrinuti, te da primene potrebne mere i strategije za planiranje i razvoj. S obzirom da&nbsp; su uticaji turizma veoma kompleksan fenomen između turista, lokalnih zajednica i destinacija, perspektiva rezidenata treba da bude istovremeno obuhvaćena evaluacijom uticaja turizma i obezbedi njihovu podr&scaron;ku za dalji razvoj.</p><p>Abu Dabi bi trebao da ulaže značajnija sredstva u promotivne aktivnosti unutar zemlje, kojima bi se lokalnom stanovni&scaron;tvu približio turizam i značaj njegovog razvoja. Potrebno je stvarati uslove za &scaron;to intenzivniju komunikaciju i interakciju turista i lokalnog stanovni&scaron;tva. Autohtoni&nbsp; stanovnici Abu Dabija su tradicionalno gostoljubivi, ali su u manjini u svojoj zemlji i ne me&scaron;aju se mnogo sa strancima. Očigledno je, da je otvaranje stanovni&scaron;tva od velikog, ako ne i presudnog značaja za unapređenje turizma. Pri tome treba voditi računa&nbsp; da se to otvaranje odvija uz uvažavanje tradicionalnih vrednosti, načina života i strogo po&scaron;tovanje lokalnih običaja i navika. Dakle, stvaranje projekta koji bi uklapao tradicionalno gostoprimstvo u turističku ponudu bi bilo dvostruko korisno, kroz povećanu zainteresovanost turista i kroz veće uključivanje stanovni&scaron;tva Abu Dabija.</p>

<p>This research work presents modern Abu Dhabi within the context of tourism&nbsp;development, with regard to the pre-oil era. The commercial exploitation of oil brought&nbsp;a dramatic turn up and transformed one of the poorest places on the Earth into one of&nbsp;the richest societies of the present day. The place that was forgotten just over 40 years&nbsp;ago, appears in the 21st century world tourism market as rich and progressive, thanks to&nbsp;the booming oil economy, and recognized need to diversify. Develop ment strategy defined by Abu Dhabi Vision 2030, has the goal not just of diversifying the economy but also of changing the image of the country, for decades known as one of the world&rsquo;s top oil producers. Development of new sectors of the national economy h as made the country more attractive as a destination and has created a place which is nice and comfortable for residents and tourists alike in the middle of a harsh natural environment. This is a unique socio-cultural environment, a mixture of modern and o ld, where the latest technology and traditional habits coexists&nbsp; easily and uninterrupted. The strategic decision to develop cultural tourism has two dimensions: the one that tries to preserve local traditional heritage, and the other one that tries to reach global culture, seeking to spread knowledge and understanding among peoples over national and geographical borders.</p><p>Residents&rsquo; evaluation and support for tourism development depends on their value system. Empirical research showsthat residents of differ ent places are willing to except some negative trade-offs of tourism as long as their perceived benefits are greater. Tourism is known to over-consume physical and social space sometimes, leading to negative, even catastrophic consequences. This research work took into account determinants and factors identified in mainstream literature as important to understand and explain local residents&rsquo; perceptions about tourism. It should help to understand Abu Dhabi local citizens&rsquo; perceptions on tourism development,&nbsp; and enable planners, promoters and business decision-makers to realize their concerns, and implement necessary solutions. Keeping in mind that the impact of tourism is a complex phenomenon among tourists, local communities and destinations, residents&rsquo; per spective should be included in the evaluation of this impact, and their support for further development should be provided.</p><p>Abu Dhabi should invest more into promotional activities inside the country to&nbsp;familiarize its indigenous inhabitants with tourism&nbsp; and its importance. It is important to&nbsp;make preconditions for interactions between tourists and locals, and intensify their&nbsp;communication. Abu Dhabi local residents are traditionally hospitable and welcoming&nbsp;to all guests, but they are a minority in their&nbsp; own country, and they don&rsquo;t mix a lot with&nbsp;strangers. The opening up of the local community is of great importance for the further&nbsp;improvement and development of tourism. This should be done with respect to&nbsp;traditional values, life style, local customs and&nbsp; habits. Investing in projects that would&nbsp;match traditional local hospitality with commercial tourism offers would be doubly&nbsp;beneficial through increased tourist demand and greater inclusion of local residents.&nbsp;</p>