From the museums of objects to the virtual museums: an opportunity for local tourism development

This paper analyses the role played by the new multimedia technologies for the development of the offer of museums. In the last ten years the number of museums has grown enormously and they have taken a leading role for different subjects. Currently the role of cultural heritage is wider and the cultural resources of an area, especially in the case of a tourist destination, should be able to educate and, most important, entertain visitors. The protection of cultural heritage in this way passes through the concept of the use value rather than the intrinsic value of these assets. In this new approach, which has emerged since the Sixties, the enhancement of cultural heritage focuses on the demand’s development and the application of a management system that, also thanks to new professionals, permit the public to perceive the value of cultural heritage and the need to protect it properly. The role of the cultural operators and, in particular, the museums is, therefore, changing; while in the past the goal of mere cataloguing and preservation prevailed, today these institutions are making efforts to increase the number of visitors and attract new segments of demand (especially families and young people), as well as qualify their offer. It emerges, for all these reasons, the need to modify the positioning and the offering of cultural attractions, strengthening them in experiential terms. Therefore, in terms of management of cultural heritage it is necessary to focus on the ability to get closer to the public and to create richer and striking experiences for visitors, trying to increase their satisfaction thanks to a wider range of benefits, not only in strictly functional terms but also in emotional terms. These phenomena generates the paradox that the museums have no more need of artefacts and works of art to be exhibited. The paper presents some of the most interesting cases of Italian audience-driven museums (Hopper-Greenhill, 1994) focused on innovative ITC support.