Limiting the spread of coronavirus by digitalizing cultural heritage sites: Safe, accessible, and informative museum offering for visitors.
About this good practice
The most visited museum of Latvia offers expositions on the history of archaeology, culture and art and narrates events dating back as far as to the 11th century. Museum Reserve covers 43.63ha:48 outdoor and indoor exhibitions. Turaida museum reserve continuously has focused on being accessible, attractive, and important tourist destination at European level. During the COVID-19 pandemic it was essential and challenging to increase the tourist flows Therefore, digitalisation had a particular role for the museum’s reserve marketing development.
New mobile app was created for letting the visitors guide themselves in the reserve and get to know more detailed information about the exhibits and objects in the area. Tickets were available to buy online to avoid the direct contact between the staff and the visitors.
Digitalisation ensures that the experience accumulated in the Historical-Centre is available to the widest possible audience, with number of activities related to digital and Internet solutions. It is planned to create more thematic online guided tours, to develop mobile application-guide, ensuring the availability of the message in several languages and in historical places. New interactive educational programmes and other diverse activities will be created to attract young people, telling about European cultural values, demonstrating how the natural and cultural heritage helps to solve today's problems and serves as an inspiration, especially among young people.
Resources needed
Cultural Capital Fund and partially own, approx until 2022: 31,000 euros Human resources - person who leads the project and is responsible in communication between the service providers.
Evidence of success
In 2019, 286 045 ppl visited the Museum before COVID-19. In 2020, during the restrictions of COVID-19, more than 100 000 people visited the open-air exhibitions but in 2021 due to restrictions of COVID-19 amount of visitors decreased. As data shows during first part of 2022 visitors amount increases for 144% and in continues to rise. Currently there are several hundreds active app users. In 2021 the Turaida Museum Reserve received the European Heritage Label.
Potential for learning or transfer
The tourism sites European-wide can learn from the experience of Turaida Museum Reserve on how to create modern and digital heritage site without losing the authenticity. App helps to reach visitors that speaks different languages as well as helps with different impairments. As well as helped to create modern and easy accessible interactive info stands. As the majority of the information was already gathered for creatiing the app.
Digitalising the guide on offer in the Turaida museum-reserve was effective and provided the visitor's easy access and modern interpretation of the cultural heritage. Pandemic gave the possibility not to delay the digitalisation progress. As it gives the possibility to become a smart and accessible destination.
TMR experience has already inspired other stakeholders in the country and international project CHRISTA partners.
Further information
Images
Website
Good practice owner
You can contact the good practice owner below for more detailed information.