Urban Art and Cultural Travel

Abstract

The present critical essay puts forward the notion of a reflective engagement with the nexus between urban art and cultural travel, drawing chiefly upon the theoretical insights of tourism studies. Through a combination of theoretical and empirical arguments, the current paper explores the historical and theoretical contexts of the art and tourism scenes, thereby revealing the development and rise of urban art and cultural tourism. This discourse gave rise to academic reflection, thereby exposing the contentious and divergent positions held between fields of study and practices that proved challenging to resolve. The following discussion aims to provide an empirical representation of the theoretical discussion of this type of association. In order to this end, an overview of successful projects in Portugal and Germany will be provided. It is demonstrated that public and private organisations became cognisant of the potency of this art form, leading to the commencement of initiatives that fostered its development.This underscores the significance of both urban art and cultural travel for the sustenance of culture. It is argued that this approach contributes to the safeguarding of both tangible and intangible heritage aspects of communities.