The Future of Museums. An Analysis from the Visitors’ Perspective in the Spanish Context

Abstract The social role of museums has long been part of the academic debate: different disciplines and fields of knowledge have explored the social shift of museums and have re-envisioned their future. However, little attention has been paid to the views of visitors on the future of museums. This article addresses this issue by adopting an audience development approach. It analyses a questionnaire administered to 685 visitors to 16 Spanish museums between October and December 2019. The findings revealed that the audience believed that museums should offer a vision that respects cultural diversity, and provide enriching and memorable experiences, while at the same time defending the classic values of cultural heritage, among others. Women and visitors that gave more importance to the practice of visiting museums than to other cultural practices were found to be the most demanding visitor segments.