A new study out this week from the museum think tank Remuseum suggests free admission attracts more visitors without increasing costs. The study which was conducted over a period of two years analyzed data from several smaller museums that had implemented free admission policies. The results were startling with most museums reporting a significant increase in visitor numbers.
The idea of free museum admission is not new and has been implemented by several larger museums around the world with great success. However the Remuseum study is one of the first to look at the impact of free admission on smaller museums. The study found that smaller museums that offered free admission saw an average increase in visitor numbers of 25 percent.
One of the main concerns about offering free admission is that it will increase costs for the museum. However the study found that this was not the case. In fact many of the museums that participated in the study reported a decrease in costs as they were able to reduce their marketing budgets. The study suggested that this was because free admission is a powerful marketing tool in itself and can attract visitors who may not have otherwise visited the museum.
The study also found that free admission had a number of other benefits for the museums that participated. For example it helped to increase diversity among visitors with more people from lower income backgrounds visiting the museum. It also helped to create a sense of community with many visitors reporting that they felt more connected to the museum and its collections.
Overall the study suggests that free admission can be a powerful tool for smaller museums looking to attract more visitors and increase their impact. By offering free admission museums can make themselves more accessible and appealing to a wider range of people. This can help to increase visitor numbers and create a more diverse and engaged community of visitors.
The study s findings have significant implications for the museum sector as a whole. As museums look for ways to stay relevant and attract new visitors the idea of free admission is likely to become increasingly popular. In fact several larger museums have already begun to offer free admission on certain days of the week or month.
For example the Smithsonian museums in Washington D.C. offer free admission every day of the year. The museums which include the National Museum of Natural History and the National Air and Space Museum attract millions of visitors each year and are among the most popular tourist destinations in the city.
The Remuseum study suggests that smaller museums can also benefit from offering free admission. By doing so they can attract more visitors and create a sense of community and engagement among their visitors. As the museum sector continues to evolve and adapt to changing visitor expectations the idea of free admission is likely to play an increasingly important role.