Understanding visitors’ experiences at Portuguese literary museums: An analysis of TripAdvisor reviews

Abstract

In tourism studies, the analysis of online review websites is a gateway to understanding visitors’ experiences. After producing an updated inventory of literary museums in Portugal, this exploratory and qualitative research examines visitors’ experience at Portuguese literary museums, as revealed by national and international visitors on TripAdvisor. In the absence of national studies on visitors’ experience at these cultural attractions, this paper addresses this gap, using NVivo R.1.6 software and thematic analysis to identify the common experiential tropes in the visitors’ online spontaneous feedback. The findings indicate that most reviewers perceive this experience as a platform for gaining knowledge about the authors, work and historical context. The results also reveal that the writers’ objects (even when replicas), the curational options, and the tour guiding staff contribute significantly to sensing a connection with the author, stepping into the past and co-creating an aura of authenticity in the museum experience.