Thirteenth International Conference on The Inclusive Museum

Abstract

To fulfil their social responsibility, promote inclusiveness and encourage attendance, museums worldwide have promoted free admissions. However, the funding cuts that have invested the entire cultural sector have forced some institutions to introduce entrance fees. Museum pricing policy is an internationally debated topic of growing interest, but, to date, there is a lack of empirical research on the subject or addressing the audiences’ motivations for visiting museums, which is a core argument when promoting free admissions. This paper examines whether admission fees represent a real hindrance for diversifying audiences and increasing visitors’ numbers. The discussion is based on empirical research conducted on two case-studies: the Fitzwilliam Museum of Cambridge (UK) and the Museum of Islamic Art in Doha (Qatar). An online survey gathered information regarding the relevance of a charging policy in museums, the relation between audiences’ economic and educational backgrounds and their willingness to pay for visiting museums from 102 respondents. Data show that small admission charges do not necessarily represent a strong barrier in engaging and diversifying museum audiences; especially in consideration that some categories, e.g. tourists, are generally insensitive to fees. Findings demonstrate that cultural experience, level of education and/or personal interests affect the audience’s motivation to visit a museum more than a fee. The heterogeneity of the western and eastern contexts analysed allows also to sustain the efficiency of a pricing policy: tickets’ income might offer a strategic tool for establishing institutional prestige and provide economic sustainability, without necessarily threatening numbers or categories of visitors.