Paal Mork, Chairman ICOM MPR Director of Communication and Audience Development Norsk Folkemuseum
Paal Mork Crisis? What Crisis?
Why should museums target tourists? Will the financial crisis affect museums? ICOM guidelines regarding museums and tourism
Why should museums target tourists?
Number of Visitors Local Museum and Norsk Folkemuseum 45 000 40 000 35 000 30 000 25 000 20 000 15 000 10 000 5 000 0 Jan Feb Mars April Mai Juni Juli Aug Sept Okt Nov Des Local Museum Norsk Folkemuseum
Do museums need tourists?
Income and expences 100 % 90 % 80 % Own income Working expences 70 % 60 % 50 % 40 % Subsidies Wages 30 % 20 % 10 % 0 % Inntekter Utgifter
Income and expences 100 90 80 Own income Working expences 70 60 50 40 Subsidies Wages 30 20 10 0 Inntekter Utgifter
Will the Financial Crisis affect Museums and Tourism? The Uffizi Gallery, Firenze
The Uffizi Gallery, Firenze summer 2008 The same gallery, Firenze summer 2009
Will the Financial Crisis affect Museums and Tourism?
Will the Financial Crisis affect Museums and Tourism? Testing Times for International Tourism MADRID, SPAIN 2 JULY 2009 According to the June edition of the UNWTO World Tourism Barometer international tourism declined by 8% between January and April compared to the same period last year. Destinations worldwide recorded a total of 247 million international tourist arrivals in those four months, down from 269 million in 2008. Given the changes in the outlook UNWTO has revised its forecast for the full year 2009. Taking account of the results for the first four months of the year and the current market conditions, international tourism is now forecast to decrease by between -6% and -4% in 2009, as the pace of decline is expected to ease during the remainder of 2009.
Science Museum up 14% Museum of Natural History up 100%! Folk Museum up 8% Munch Museum up 10%
Change in number of Visitors July 2009 compared with July 2008,00 %,00 %,00 %,00 %,00 %,00 % Skansen SE Nationalmuseet DK Deutsches Historisches Museum DE Metropolitan Museum of Art US Norsk Folkemuseum NO British Museum UK,00 %,00 %,00 % Average: Rise of 1.83%,00 %
The big crisis is called off The director of Norges Bank (The Norwegian central bank)
The Financial Crisis will affect the travel industry: There will be fewer operators with reduced competition as a result. Travellers become more concious
It has become easier to arrange your own travel Reduces requests for group travel Museums must target individuals instead of a tour operator The tour operator must offer added value Stronger requirements towards the museums
ICOM Charter of Principles for Museums and Cultural Tourism The Charter outlines the required strategies and the aims and objectives that would ensure that cultural heritage ( including museum collections) is enjoyed, interpreted and managed in a way that favours its preservation and respect for future generations.
ICOM CHARTER OF PRINCIPLES FOR MUSEUMS AND CULTURAL TOURISM The five Principles which the ICOM Charter proposes museums should adopt in respect of cultural tourism include : Principle No. 1: Museums constitute an important resource for Cultural Tourism for several reasons: their status as cultural mediators and the diversity of their collections, their category ( whether public or private and national, regional or local), and their conditions of multiplicity, uniqueness, freedom, flexibility and creative potentiality. Principle No. 2: The interaction between tourism and museums is a relationship that can affect the preservation of natural and cultural heritage including that of the collections and the values they transmit. Such a relationship should maintain an ethics of preservation in order to ensure the permanence of the objects.
Principle No. 3: In regards to cultural tourism, museums should encourage the active participation of the local communities in the planning of both heritage management and the operation of tourism venues. Principle No. 4: A harmonious relationship between museums and cultural tourism should address all constituent aspects of the museum such as the infrastructure, quality of the collection, information and communication systems, educational and exhibition activities, the staff and the relationship with its surroundings. Principle No. 5: From an economic point of view, commercialization of cultural tourism based on heritage resources should include profitability in its economic, social and environmental dimensions.
To sum up The financial crisis might lead the tourism industry and museums into a difficult economical situation. However, it might seem that the financial crisis has not struck museums as hard as expected. The travel business is undergoing a change, which put stronger demands on the museums. The ICOM Charter of Principles For Museums And Cultural Tourism can offer guidelines in developing ethical and sustainable products for the travel market.