01908nas a2200193   4500000000100000008004100001260004500042653001700087653001300104653001000117653002400127653001600151100001900167245007600186856015200262300000900414520124900423020004201672                                       d  bSpringer Science and Business Media B.V.10aAuthenticity10abranding10aForts10aheritage management10aUAE tourism1 aAdriaan De Man00aPortuguese Heritage in the UAE: Authenticity in Archaeology and Tourism  uhttps://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85092111248&doi=10.1007%2f978-3-319-67603-6_1&partnerID=40&md5=f5e0d06e597eacbb9059ac1c8b0f6710  a3-153 aThe 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.  a21987246 (ISSN); 9783319676029 (ISBN)