Issues Involved In Attracting Visitors To Museums Tourism Essay

Issues Involved In Attracting Visitors To Museums Tourism Essay In addition to its collection, preservation and educational role museums must also attract the largest possible audience to survive. Discuss this statement with reference to Heritage Tourism and a major London museum. Heritage tourism is a sector inside the tourism industry that has strong historical importance. It covers an area or object that can symbolize a culture, nature or just a specific environment that is important to remember and preserve throughout history. Widely mentioned in the 1990s the importance of heritage tourism grew becoming one of the most important sectors in the tourism industry, Palmer (1999) Heritage tourism is a very broad and multifaceted. It attempts to preserve the past for the benefit and interest of future generations. It can be represented through many forms such as literature, culture and traditions, architecture, landscapes and a variety of other objects. Heritage tourism is quite a new concept in tourism and it is complex because it differs from person to person depending on their beliefs, culture, traditions and/or nationality. It is easy to understand that heritage tourism is related to museums. Museums have a strong link with heritage tourism. Museums are meant to preserve all kinds of things that are relevant to history and make them available throughout the years. The main purpose of a museum is to sell history through an exhibition, preservation and storage of symbolic objects. Museums attempt to explain the importance of these objects and make it a enjoyable experience to its visitors. Most of the facts and events that we know about our history are because of the role that museums have in preserving history as well as explaining it Marstine (2006). Museums can be owned by the public and private sector and this can influence they way they operate and interact with the public and what they exhibit. Museums focus on many specific areas of history and, as they are business and they are managed in order to make profit, many exhibitions are prioritized according to the visitors interests, Garrod, (2008.) Museums focus primarily on visitors who are interested and are receptive to changes on their views and opinions about the world Langer (1993) Visitors of museums should understand the topic that the museum is trying to cover by questioning and reasoning. There can be two types of museum visitors defined by Langer (1993) and Moscardo (1996): the mindful and the mindless. A mindful visitor accepts information through various interpretations and is able to contextualize them. Being a mindful visitor means that one is able to accept that there is no single correct way to interpret a single historical situation. A mindless visitor finds other interpretations besides the one he or she possesses irrelevant as these visitors are not receptive as the mindful ones. They are not receptive to other interpretations or viewpoints because they are unable to question the information they already possess. Usually they are subject to believe and follow a single definition and/or stereotype. They are usually not interest, do not really know about the exhibition and do not care much about it. A good museum has to be entertaining for both types of visitors. A museum has to consider different morals, cultures, ideologies, traditions and political views from its visitors in order to offer them a good experience and make their visit interesting and worth their time and money spent. The Natural History Museum The Natural History Museum is located in London, England on Exhibition Road, in South Kensington, together with the science museum and the Victoria and Albert Museum. The museum is sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and has charitable purposes. It has been called The Natural History Museum since 1992 due to the Museums and Galleries Act. The museum has five specific collections related to botany, entomology, mineralogy, palaeontology and zoology. These five collections have around 70 million objects in total. The Natural History Museum is famous worldwide for its dinosaur exhibition that includes a large diplodocus dinosaur skeleton. The Natural History Museum is referred to in many research projects, focusing on areas such taxonomy, identification and preservation. Some of the items are as important scientifically as they are historically since Charles Darwin has worked with them directly. The museum has a large library that holds many scientific research books, articles, hand written documents and art collections. However this library is only accessible by appointment. Geological Museum The Natural History Museum joined the Geological Museum in 1986 from the British Geological Survey. The museum is internationally known for its James Gardiner exhibitions of the active volcano and earthquake devices. The museum has also hosted the first electronically generated exhibition called Treasures of the Earth. The galleries in the museum were redeveloped in 1996 and renamed The Earth Galleries. The galleries in the Waterhouse building were also renamed as The Life Galleries The Geological Museum shows examples from the 19th century of display techniques used in the Waterhouse building. Neal Potter designed the central atrium, where visitors are transported to this area through an escalator made out of plates that symbolize earth. The walls were made out of recycled materials with representations of the major stars and planets. The background has six imagines that demonstrate how older generations viewed earth. Darwin Centre Named after Charles Darwin, the Darwin Centre holds a collection of preserved animals, a work place for scientific researchers and recent educational visitor experiences. It was built in two phases and it is one of the most important ventures in the Natural History Museum. Phase one hosted the zoological items, mainly preserved in alcohol. Phase two holds the botanical exhibits. Phased two opened in 2009 and it is in a shape of a giant cocoon. The Darwin Centre became famous for Archie an eight meter long giant squid that hangs in the middle of the centre. The Attenborough Studio Named after Sir David Attenborough, a prestigious broadcaster and presenter, the Attenborough Studio holds the most important footages on natural History. In collaboration with the British Broadcast Corporation (BBC) the Attenborough Studio has as its main goal to share science education and preservation efforts through multimedia material, becoming a vital part of Darwin Centre. The West side of the building also keeps a wildlife garden, where various types of plants are on display and a possibly new type of insect species similar to the ant was discovered in 2007. The Museum also holds four different galleries that are differentiated by colour and contain different things, they are as follows: Red Zone: Earth Lab, Earths Treasury,Lasting Impressions, Restless Surface, Earth Today and Tomorrow, From the Beginning, The Power Within, Visions of Earth. Green zone: Birds, Creepy Crawlies, Ecology, Fossil Marine Reptiles, Giant Sequoia and Central Hall, Minerals, The Vault, Our Place in Evolution, Plant Power, Primates, Investigate. Blue zone: Dinosaurs, Fishes, Amphibians and Reptiles, Human Biology, Marine Invertebrates, Mammals (Blue Whale), Nature Live. Orange zone: Wildlife Garden, Darwin Centre. The Natural History Museum has become incredibly popular with its visitors over the years, because of its range of diverse things to see. It is not only popular for educational school trips but all kinds of people can come and find something they will be interested in. Politics The issue of politics in Museums can show in a clear way the attitude a certain nation may feel toward an issue in history, or how people have different ideas about what happened. For example, visiting a museum that has exhibits and galleries regarding past conflicts, these museums will portray their countries military objectives and assets as positive, this aides in the nations patriotism and makes nationals of the country proud when they visit. The recreation for some galleries and exhibits in the Natural History Museum rely mainly on the accuracy of the way that certain things are shown, as not many exhibits depict conflict in the past but are more focused on science, astrology and the earth as well as its living plants and animals. Dallen and Boyd (2003) say that One persons landmark may be an object of hostility to another Individuals may disagree the way that certain things are explained in the Museum, however the museum has had input from many reliable scientists and professor s over the years whose opinion on some exhibits and galleries cannot be argued. It is important to listen and understand the views that all individuals have regarding how things were in the past. For example issues that revolve around how the Earth came to be formed, some organizations disagree with the well known theory of the Big-Bang. Although not all organizations agree with each other, these are the kind of politics that are relevant to The Natural History Museum. Authenticity Authenticity is very important for museum visitors. According to Halewood and Hannom (2001) museums are appreciated by their visitors due to some of their characteristics, such as: Originality; Workmanship; Cultural and historical accuracy; Aesthetics Functions and use. In order to grant authenticity and organization academic expertise is essential for the success of any museum Shenhav-Keller (1993). The study of authenticity is a critical success factor for museum visitor management. The feeling of being in front of something that has been preserved since its creation is what most museums expect to offer to their visitors Marstine (2006). Visitors expect to see the objects on the museum as they were originally, this provides authenticity and should be prioritized in order to get full satisfaction from the museum visitors. Sometimes authenticity cannot be achieved because objects might not be in their original state and museums should try to restore them or create similar pieces to the originals (replicas). The Natural History Museum contains a number of authentic objects both old and new in its galleries and exhibits. For example the River Thames Whale that managed to get stuck in the River Thames in 2006, this whales bones have been arranged together and are now temporarily on display. The Darwin Centre also holds tens of millions of specimens that were once alive, most famously is the giant squid named Archie that hangs in the middle of the centre. The Museum also contains many authentic ancient fossils that have been found over the years, they are on display in the Green Zone area, as well as a completely authentic wildlife garden in the Orange Zone. A lot of the things to be seen in the Natural History Museum have also been manufactured or been made from originals so they are not entirely authentic. However the fact that they are replicated gives the visitor an idea of what an authentic original would have been like. Visitor Management The Natural History Museum received over 832,000 visitors during the year of 1958, and in 2009 visitor arrivals reached four million. Of course the museum was not so advanced in 1958 and has expanded dramatically since then, but the opening of such areas of the museum as the Darwin Centre and the Geological Museum have increased the amount of visitors over the years. The museum did not allow free entry until 2001, during the year 2000 visitor arrivals were only 1.7million but rose 42% during the month October, 2009, thanks to the help of the new and exciting Darwin Centre, this was the Museums busiest ever month. The following months even more visitors came to visit the National History Museum, this unusually high attendance of visitors was known within the museum as the Darwin effect. Hall McArthur (1996) stated that visitor management is the Management of visitors in a manner which maximises the quality of the visitor experience whilst assisting the achievement of an areas overall objectives The Natural History Museum has a dedicated Visitor Services team that makes sure that the needs of all visitors are adequately met during their visit. It is possible to call the customer services team before you arrive at the museum to find out when a good time to visit might be. For example elderly or disabled individuals may wish to visit the Museum when it is not so busy. The fact that the staff at the Museum can provide information on a good time for the individual calling to visit maximises their experience. The Museum also contains a cafe and other areas where visitors can refresh themselves with a drink or something to eat, as well as numerous bathroom facilities should they need to use them. Most exhibits and galleries are interactive and allow the visitor to get involved with what they are learning making it a more enjoyable experience. Should the visitor speak another language other than English there are also translations in other languages for many of the Museums descript ions and galleries. It is essential for Museum directors to take into account not only the comfort of the visitors who are being welcomed to the museum, but of course the valuable artefacts that are inside the museum as well as the condition of the museum itself. It is important that these museum directors manage their museum so that it remains in a good condition, and does not get damaged by an overflow of too many visitors at a particular time. Enough money must also be spent on restoring any damage that may have occurred due to too many visitors or lack of respect from individuals towards the museum site and its content. For this reason museums must limit the amount of visitors that are inside at any one time, or a daily limit in order to preserve the building for future use. Garrod and Fyall (2000) say that Conceivably, the higher weighting that is generally accorded to conservation might be the result of the particularly strong notion of futurity that is often associated with heritage assets. It is easy for this Museum in particular to become a victim of over-use as the admission is free, so managers must look carefully into the methods they use to control the flow of visitors coming in and out. The Visitor Services team at the National History Museum has many stewards both inside and outside that make sure everyone who is waiting in line is comfortable and aware of the time they must wait. The Museum directors make sure that they let the same proportion of people in the Museum that are also leaving the Museum. Conclusion We can see from this report the issues that are involved when attempting to attract the most visitors possible to a Museum. These issues revolve around Politics, Visitor Management and Authenticity of the contents of the Museum. We have seen that it is very important to control visitor management, not only for the comfort and safety of the visitors but also in order to uphold the quality of the Museum, its galleries and exhibitions. If a Museum becomes too crowded it is not a pleasant experience at all and will deter the visitor from returning. Authenticity is another issue that some visitors find of great importance if they feel that what they are seeing is not genuine, or has not been replicated to look genuine they will feel cheated and not return to the Museum again. Finally the politics involved are something that attracts visitors depending on the nature of the Museum as there are not much politics involved with The Natural History Museum. The Natural History Museum has had a good plan to accommodate visitors when they arrive at the Museum, they have had a very long time over the years to perfect their visitor management plans. The general management of this Museum has made it one of the most popular in the United Kingdom, attracting four million visitors in 2009 and has been very successful in attracting maximum amount of visitors whilst preserving and sustaining the contents of the Museum and the building itself.

Fluke, or, I Know Why the Winged Whale Sings Chapter 12~13

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Charlotte’s Web: Allegory of the Barn Essay

Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White is a children’s novel that tries to instill the values of friendship, loyalty and basic characteristics of humans through an adventure of farm animals. This novel was written in the early 1950’s at the time when the world was split by a curtain in two. It is open and direct in topics dealing with traits of certain animals and their role in the society of the â€Å"barn†, but one cannot disconcert the subtle praise this novel gives to the society that this novel is encompassed by. Charlotte’s Web contains re-occurring imagery, which implies that the society in which the characters live in is bountiful and that farm life is relatively easy, and brings the promise of simple but fruitful life. This novel, although intended for children, carries with it a strong ideological undertone that glorifies capitalism. This is not meant to be subversive in any way but rather it is a sign of the times that the author lived in and the strong forces that drove the American society when this novel was written. The author indulges the reader with abundance of images that present the reader with the notion that the life in the country is effortless and that everyone is relatively well to do. The most prominent method used is the rather descriptive manner in which Mr. White describes the vehicles that are parked in front of Mr.Zuckermans barn. The author does not describe the vehicles merely as numerous but he goes on to name nine specific makes present † Fords and Chevvies and Buick roadmasters and GMC pickups and Plymoths and Studebakers and packards and De Sotos with gyromatic transmissions and Oldsmobiles with rocket engines and Jeep station wagons and Pontiacs†(83/84). He also goes on to describe some of the most prominent features of these vehicles almost to the point where a reader is compelled to feel pride in the fact that one can choose between so many vehicles if one chooses. It may be argued that these descriptions are made so specific in order to indulge the imagination of a child reading this novel. A valid argument can be made that Mr. White consciously or subconsciously introduced this descriptive element to praise and embellish the success of the life that he considers to be rural. One has to stress that any notions of this imagery being used consciously is very unlikely simply because public and open displays in literature were not uncommon at this time and there would be no reason for the author to be this subtle consciously. Another re-occurring image that is the most prominent symbol of Capitalism is not referred to often in this novel but is referred to nevertheless. Money is not something that the author uses here as a force that in some subtle way drives the story of the novel. That is to say, greed is not the force behind the story and monetary references are minor but important when analyzed from a semiotic perspective. Although in Ch II Wilbur is sold it is not specific for how much, but latter on in the story the author describes the abundance of goods at the fair and the freedom the kids enjoy when they get there. Most receive money from their parents and are free to do whatever they wish with the allowance they have received. The significance of this is that, beside of this being a step in maturity of the characters involved, the amount that is dispensed by the adults to Fern and Avery is fairly descriptive again. â€Å"Mr. Arable gave Fern two quarters and two dimes. He gave Avery five dimes and four nickels†(131). This type of descriptive imagery is repeated once more when Mr. Zuckerman receives the prize for Wilbur and the author once more tells us â€Å"He [the judge] handed Mr. Zuckerman two ten dollar bills and a five dollar bill†(160). It’s fairly uncommon to be descriptive about money in this manner in children’s novels and one can only assume the meaning and the context in which this was written in. The Fair is another vehicle that is used to emphasize the excess that children indulge themselves to once a year. The author is fairly descriptive as to what one can find at the fair. This is surely done to justify the excitement that Avery and Fern display when they are finally â€Å"released† upon the fair. E.B. White is also descriptive as to what Tempelton can find at the fair. The wasted food is plentiful and at one point Tempelton himself said how he â€Å"[I] must have eaten the remains of thirty lunches† (148). This laid-back mention of the food that is wasted again brings about the notion of excess, which is the heart of the argument against Capitalism. Food is a re-occurring image that is used to display the excess the people live in E.B.Whites novel. Wilbur being dirty, because he is a pig, is washed by Mr. Zuckerman’s farm hand Lurvy with buttermilk. This is not the only instance where food is the symbol of excess. Wilbur’s diet is also detaile d in Charlotte’s Web. The author goes on to say that Wilbur is fed with â€Å"skim  milk, wheat middlings, leftover pancakes, half a doughnut, the rind of a summer squash, two pieces of stale toast, a third of a gingersnap, a fish tail, one orange peel, several noodles form a noodle soup, scum off a cup of coca, an ancient jelly roll, a strip of paper from the lining of the garbage pail, and a spoonful of raspberry jelly†(75). Admittedly paper from a garbage pail, stale toast and a orange peel is not something one can envy Wilbur on but jelly and pancakes and skim milk is definitely something one can look forward to. This food that is being described to the reader is meant to show the reader that Wilbur is being treated and fed good even though he is a pig. But one cannot help but wonder, while reading this passage, why this food is wasted and is life on a farm that good and that rewarding that one can afford to feed farm animals with leftover desserts and lunches and dinners. The fair brings about a plethora of images that one can associate with the theme of this paper. Even though the fair is associated mostly with the younger generations we also see that both Mr. and Mrs. Zuckerman also have things that interest them. Mr. Zuckerman wishes to see the tractors on display and Mrs. Zuckerman expresses the wish to see the â€Å"deep freeze†(133). These symbols are typical examples of a consumer driven society. Although the argument of W.E Whites subtle praises of the American way of life has been made. The author of this paper did not contrast the world of Mr. White to that of Communism but rather to a normal farm in rural America in 1950’s. It is important to understand that novels carrying any message of the society is written in is a very powerful tool. Plato’s allegory of the cave would successfully back the argument that this novel is but a puppet projecting its image on a wall and that the reader is a chained subject viewing the images. Certainly it must be made clear that the author most likely did not project these images with any other intent other than making the story more enjoyable. All of the arguments presented above can be dismissed rather easily if one does not open themselves to the idea that even children’s novels may be tools by which we educate our young ones to more than values and morals. Are we showing our children from a young age that excess and wastefulness of our resources, whether it is food or natural  resources, is ok? Or are we simply praising what we have and showing our pride with the fact that we are capable of buying dozens of different brands of vehicles when realistically we only need one. Children need to be taught the value of a hard earned dollar and that food and other resources are not to be wasted so lightly. This novel although innocent does play a small part in subtle miseducation of children about what constitutes real farm life.

Project Management Culture And Management - 1817 Words

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