Challenges and opportunities in marketing cultural heritage sites to visitors with relevance to the Maltese market

Abstract

The history, role and function, and the development of the museum has been a constant evolving one and this is paralleled with how society has also evolved. In today's society, which is surrounded by technology and instant access to information, the museum may be required to take on a more active and participatory role. This has given rise to a stronger awareness by museum managers towards managing the actual experience. Current trends noted in both museumology and marketing practices advocate the importance of managing the experience outcome and carrying out new ways of marketing. Perhaps, what is essentially new about this wave of cultural development is the fact that it is now primarily being promoted for economic, rather than cultural ends (Richards, 1996). This brings with it new management practices, including the need for better marketing. This thesis sets out to evaluate how a publicly and privately managed cultural heritage site, namely the Malta Maritime Museum and the Limestone Heritage, offer meaningful experiences to their visitors within the context of an emerging experience economy. The research will also seek to find out what local occasional and non- visitors' expect from a museum visit, their reasons for not visiting, and insights into what would entice them to visit more often. By focusing on the 'experience' clement, using a qualitative method, this research seeks to reveal best practices and insights that can help management to devise marketing strategies to attract Maltese audiences. The results of this thesis reveal that with marketing hindsight and a better awareness for the 'museum experience ', those responsible for managing cultural sites will he able to have a better understanding of how they can position the museum's offer, based on the different perspectives of its actual and potential audiences. By providing a variety of 'experience' offerings, museums can market themselves better, enhance their audience profile and attract a wider spectrum of visitors, both tourists and locals alike.