An Exploratory Analysis of Museum Attributes from the Perspective of Tourists and Residents: The Case of Thyssen-Bornemisza National Museum, Madrid, Spain

Alicia Orea-Giner,Carmen De-Pablos-Heredero,Trinidad Vacas-Guerrero,Jorge Calero-Sanz

doi:10.3390/soc11020064

Abstract

Attribute evaluation provides an understanding of the perceived quality and subjective value of the museum visitor experience. The principal contribution of this paper is to analyze the attributes perceived by tourists and the local community (Madrid residents) of the Thyssen-Bornemisza National Museum (Madrid, Spain), utilizing the results from choice experiment and willingness-to-pay questionnaires. To analyze in depth the assessment regarding the museum attributes and the visitor perceptions of them, the relevance-determination model was applied. Data collection was achieved with a questionnaire using a convenience sample of international tourists and the local community, providing a total of 775 valid surveys. The results of the application of the relevance-determination analysis (RDA) show that there are two types of attributes: higher-impact core and lower-importance attributes. The attributes with the highest subjective value perceived by interviewed tourists and interviewed residents are the location, the building, and the permanent collection. These results show that there are substantial differences between the perception and appreciation of these attributes by interviewed residents and interviewed tourists. The results provide valuable information that can be applied in practice to devise strategies for economic and socio-cultural sustainability aimed at improving decision-making in museum management.

Highlights

This paper aims to analyze the perception of museum attributes by applying willingness to pay and choice experiment methods through a questionnaire given to both tourists and residents
Previous researchers have applied choice experiments to estimate the value of museums
The application of choice experiments is proposed as a methodology for evaluating attributes and obtaining information on visitor preferences [9]

Summary

Introduction

The analysis of attributes allows researchers to identify negative tourism experiences, to avoid undesirable consequences derived from them [4] Attributes are part of a comprehensive offer proposed by museums. They produce economic, social, and environmental impacts by attracting audiences at local, national, and international levels [5]. Previous studies have analyzed the application of willingness to pay and choice experiments in museums [8] This method allows museums to obtain information on tourists’ and residents’ preferences, and visitors’ perception of their attributes, facilitating the evaluation of perceived subjective economic value [9]

Objectives

Methods

Conclusion