Analysis of the British Museum as a Visitor Attraction Destination

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of the British Museum as a visitor attraction, employing the VAQAS framework to assess its performance. The report begins with an introduction to the museum and the tourism industry, highlighting the museum's significance as a global attraction. It then delves into the VAQAS framework, examining the key aspects of visitor experience, including pre-arrival information, the arrival process, and the attractions within the museum. The analysis focuses on several key sections, including pre-arrival, arrival and attractions, evaluating the museum's strengths and weaknesses in each area. Based on the assessment, the report offers specific recommendations aimed at enhancing the visitor experience and improving the museum's overall appeal. The report considers factors like cleanliness, facility quality, and the overall visitor journey, including retail and catering aspects. The ultimate goal is to provide actionable insights for the British Museum to optimize its services and maintain its position as a leading visitor attraction.

Managing Visitor
Attractions
Table of Contents

INTRODUCTION.................................................................................................................................3
Task.......................................................................................................................................................3
VAQAS Framework..........................................................................................................................3
Analysis from the pre-visit, arrival and attractions sections of the VAQAS core criteria..................5
Recommendation...............................................................................................................................7
REFERENCES......................................................................................................................................8
INTRODUCTION
Visitor attraction is defined as all such touch points that will engage the attention of
all the people who came to visit a certain destination. This report is based on the visitor
attraction at The British Museum. In this report proper assessment will be reported about the
destination. Henceforth, report will analysis the VAQAS assessment in respect to the
destination. This assessment will involve every crucial aspect related to the destination.

Furthermore, report would also emphasis on the different aspects of customer arrival at the
place. The experience of the visitor will be monitored at each stage pre arrival and the post
arrival experience. What is the attractions point’s visitors witness would also be monitored in
this report. Specific recommendations would also be given in this report to improve the
demand of the destination from visitors point of view.
Task
VAQAS Framework
Organisation overview
The British Museum was founded in the year 1753. Sir Richard Lambert is the
chairman of the museum. The museum has an authentic collection of almost 8 million objects
that also a reason behind the popularity of the museum all across the globe. The museum is
located in London, United Kingdom. This is a public institution dedicated to human history,
art and culture. This museum was established to collect the Irish Physician and Scientist Sir
Hans Sloane. This museum was first opened in the year 1759 (Böck, 2018).
Industry Overview
Travel and tourism sector is one of the most emerging sector across the globe. Every
year millions of travellers come to United Kingdom to explore different tourist destination of
United Kingdom. The British Museum is one of the major attraction points for all the visitors
who visit United Kingdom. The travel and tourism sector is highly demanded as the United
Kingdom has witnessed the sales turnover of approximately 39.7 million pounds. The sector
is growing at the rate of 2.9% approximately every year (Redfern, 2017). The industry is
growing rapidly every year. United Kingdom consist up many attraction points like The
British Museum, Tower of London, Westminster Abbey, Kew Gardens and many other
visitor attraction points which has allowed United Kingdom to entertain effective growth rate
in travel and tourism sector.
VAQAS Framework
VAQAS Framework is a tool used to analysis about the tourism destination. This
involves factors like visitors, attraction, quality, assurance and scheme. All these factors
provide different dimensions to the analysis.

Visitors: The British Museum is a destination for all kinds of people. Visitors from all across
the globe come and visit the place to improve the travel experience. Majority of visitors are
the United Kingdom must take a look at The British Museum. All age group people, gender,
cultural and religious people came to this place to explore the museum. Millions of visitors
every year come and visit the place. This museum serves more than 8 million objects to all
visitors who came to explore the destination (Hoare and Kelland, 2020). All antique items
have its own story and essence that provide different experience to all visitors of the museum.
It’s important for the museums to serve different kind of experience to all visitors. This
museum attracts visitors of all gender, age, culture, religious background to come and explore
the destination. Many intellectuals like historians, writers also come to the place to research
on different antiques. The museum attracts all people due to its mesmerizing architect and
intellectual characteristics.
Attraction: The British Museum has may attraction points that appeals all visitors who check
in to London to come this place. This museum serves more than 8 million objects that allow
visitors to entertain themselves (Chadwick, 2019). The architecture of the museum is also a
point of attraction that allow all visitors of the museum to mesmerize themselves from the
ambience of the museum. Every year millions of visitors come to the museum to gain the
unique experience. All types of peoples the one who likes to visit for entertainment purpose
and the one who likes to explore museums to gain knowledge. This museum serves the
equality experience to both kinds of peoples. The British Museum is one of the most famous
museums all across the globe due to its unique collection.
Quality: The British Museum is among the well known museum all across the globe. This
museum serves the quality experience to all visitors irrespective of any cultural and religious
values individual possess. The management of The British Museum take care of each and
every aspect related to its visitors. Quality of the service at museum is one of the major
reasons behind the success of the museum (Demidchik, 2017). Management give proper
space to each and every visitor at the place so that he can explore the destination i the most
comfortable manner. All the collection at museum has been described in detail the place f
origin of metal and all the context related to the collection has been clarified at the place in
museum where it has stored.
Assurance: The management of The British Museum assures the best visitor experience at
the museum. The museum has managed very systematically as it allows the visitors to get the

proper experience at the museum. The museum has aimed to serve not only the entertainment
at the museum rather it is oriented towards granting knowledge related to all the antiques the
museum has collected. In case of any issue visitor is facing at the museum this also assured
that such issues will be solved quickly to improve the experience of visitor at the museum.
Scheme: This is the scheme of the museum to serve the best experience at the museum to all
visitors. The management at museum has a scheme to gain the most attraction of all its
visitors at all the antiques it has collected. This is why the museum just holds the antiques and
nothing else is serving with such antique collection.
The above mentioned points have projected about different factors related to The
British Museum.
Analysis from the pre-visit, arrival and attractions sections of the VAQAS core criteria
Visit attraction quality assurance scheme is the quality assessment criteria that is
conducted by VisitEngland service who manage quality of visitor attraction. VisitorEngland
Team conducts seven criteria to analyse quality of attraction place such as prearrival,
attraction, cleanliness, toilets, catering, retail and staff etc. (Birenboim, 2016) these are the
major section of analysing quality of visitor attraction gives credit of that place.VAQAS team
maintains 60% accreditation for each section. Based on the score criteriacan be quoted that
this visitor attraction area is really attractive place for the visitors or not. British Museum is
one of the famous visitor attraction places wherein lots of visitors comes to visit this
attraction place per year. VAQAS team conducts seven key sections to be ensured visitors
that they will get consistent level of quality while visiting at attraction point. Seven sections
and their accreditations are given by VAQAS team that are described as follows:
 Pre-Arrival
It is one of the main assessment sectionsof VAQAS that provides adequate and clarity of
information on the website, other printed media like leaflet or brochure as well as on social
media. By these available resources, visitors can directly gather lots of information about
place before visiting. It is important to give whole information through web-based media like
opening-closing time of attraction place, entrance fees and other supplementary prices for
additional activities or exhibitions as well as authentic information seasonal pricing
variations. This type service or information are accessed by quality assessment team (Cohen
and Cohen, 2019). Even VAQAS team also try to search about visitor attraction through

various searching media in order to analyse that how easy website of visitor attraction is find
out. Apart from this they read visitors feedbacks about visitor attraction place which directly
interlink with social media. Thus, VAQAS team givesaccreditation of visitor attraction place.
As same case with British Museum whereas VisitorEngland service team analyse online and
offline presence of the place to analyse that how it is easy to find adequate information about
the British Museum. It is actual quite easy for the VAQAS team to gather authentic
information related place, opening time and price to visit The British Museum.
 Arrival
This section includes overallvisitor arrivals such as signposting, parking easy to access.
VAQAS team review quality of maintenance of the parking and it’s spacethat provides to
visitor for vehicle parking purpose. There are various places whereas accessibility of parking
barrier and ticket machines are rare for the disabled customer that also access by quality
assessment team. The BritishMuseum is good visitor attractingplace whereas quality accessor
access from entering point to building seen before entering the attraction. In other word, The
British Museum is in London that has attractive frontage which is increase excitement in
visitors to see attraction. Thus, VAQAS measure frontage of the British Museum building as
visitor that how it makes individuals attractive to visit the inside the building. According to
Tiberghien, Bremnerand Milne, (2017) frontageor gate house of the building plays effective
role for attracting visitors. The reason behind is that when outer infrastructure of building is
attractive that makes individuals to get in the building and experience different attraction
points. VAQAS team checks the condition of path, level of lighting and maintains areas
because these helps to analyse quality of place effectively. The British Museum have good
maintained working place, free movement permission and lighting etc are analysed by
accessor of VAQAS team.Such facilities of British Museum give attractive impression on
visitors for revisiting place.
 Attraction
In this section covers visitor experience, includes everything such as from quality of
presentation and interpretation of visitor’s information. As per the view of Thomas, (2018)
layout of attractionmust design to permit practical access to all areas. For example,all areas of
attraction must be in sound condition along with adequate lighting management to assure
visitors a safe environment. when visitors feel safe then they can move freely at the attraction
place. VAQAS team also access that visitor attraction place allows in managing queue

effectively or not. The British museum hassufficient place wherein visitors can move freely
but does not have effective queue management. Accessor also look out finger post signs,
orientation boards and display boards which supports visitors to walk right place. The British
Museum is one of the famous visitor attraction point that has provided different facilities like
recommended routes for the disabled people and general people. Thus, VAQAS team give
good accreditation to this section.
 Retail
The VAQAS team look out general level of cleanliness, covering floor cleaning and dusting
of displays. There are various things like tables, shelving and merchandise must be dust free
as well as payment area also regularly clean. But in the case of British Museum, retail outlets
do not keep regular cleanliness of the payment area, tables and shelves which are accessed by
VAQAS team and they give 60% below score.
Recommendation
The British Museum is one of the major attraction places for the visitors among others
in London but it’s attraction can be improved at standard level. If there give high attention on
cleanliness. It is important factor for the all visitor attractions because when place has good
cleanliness then visitors like to visit place again and again(Oriade and Schofield, 2019). So,
British Museum must be cleaned regularly by people and ensures that dustbins are gathered
from across the site according requirement.Team of the Visitor attraction mustimplement
cleaning schedule that will aware all staff to keep maintenanceon this and engage with their
responsibilities effectively. Another is toilet facilities also offers by team throughout
attraction because it is important for the visitors. Catering facility is another facility that must
offer visitors nearby attraction because there are lost of visitors ho comes from the different
countries across the world. So, it is important catering facility must be effective with high
quality maintenance that will make attraction more attractive for the visitors.

REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Birenboim, A., 2016. New approaches to the study of tourist experiences in time and
space. Tourism Geographies, 18(1), pp.9-17.
Böck, B., 2018. Fragments of Muššu'u Incantations from the British Museum.
Chadwick, E., 2019. Notes on ‘A Revolutionary Legacy: Haiti and Toussaint Louverture’at
the British Museum. Third Text. 33(4-5). pp.501-520.
Cohen, S.A. and Cohen, E., 2019. New directions in the sociology of tourism. Current Issues
in Tourism, 22(2), pp.153-172.
Demidchik, A. E., 2017. The Ancient Egyptian Nouveau Riche Heqaib: The Inscription on
British Museum Stela 1671. Universum Humanitarium (En). (1). pp.152-165.
Hoare, K. and Kelland, K., 2020. THE SOUND OF LITTLE FEET AT THE BRITISH
MUSEUM. Working with Young Children in Museums: Weaving Theory and
Practice. p.11.
Oriade, A. and Schofield, P., 2019. An examination of the role of service quality and
perceived value in visitor attraction experience. Journal of destination marketing &
management, 11, pp.1-9.
Redfern, A., 2017. 123 (British Museum First Concepts). The School Librarian, 65(3), p.154.

Thomas, D.H., 2018. Managing online communications and feedback relating to the Welsh
visitor attraction experience: apathy and inflexibility in tourism marketing
practice? (Doctoral dissertation, University of Wales Trinity Saint David).
Tiberghien, G., Bremner, H. and Milne, S., 2017. Performance and visitors’ perception of
authenticity in eco-cultural tourism. Tourism Geographies, 19(2), pp.287-300.