Visitor experiences in cultural spaces

Abstract

It may surprise some that most customers are not interested in museums, galleries or other forms of cultural establishments. Their primary interests are related to the benefits of visiting the cultural space or site. Any curator or manager should consider the question, 'why do our visitors want to visit us?' People have many reasons and motivations for becoming visitors. These can include a search for entertainment or social interaction, cultural interest, lifestyle preferences or simple curiosity. The factors behind cultural demand have already been analysed in great detail – especially considering some principal questions of interpretation (e.g. Goodey 1973; Field and Wagar 1976; Falk and Dierking 1992; Knudson et al. 1995; Knapp and Volk 1997; Beck and Cable 1998), experience creation (e.g. Prince 1982; Kaplan et al. 1998), and applied psychology (e.g. Loomis 1987; Ham 1994; Cassidy 1997). The number and variety of motivations for people to become customers are almost innumerable. All of the above-mentioned motivations could apply to any cultural space, meaning that different people with different backgrounds and needs are brought together at the same time. Given this variation in motivation and reasons for being in a cultural space, the issue of interpretationbecomes very important. The main objectives of interpretation in cultural context are:To involve customers through first-hand (personal) experience with different dimensions and elements of culture.