Visitor Satisfaction at the Museum: Italian versus Foreign Visitors

Trying to understand what comprises and influences visitor satisfaction is one of the most relevant areas of research for the tourism sector. The aim of this study is to analyze which factors influence overall satisfaction with the visit at the museum, with particular interest in origin, feelings, and motivations. The research is based on 1038 questionnaires collected from June to December 2011 among the visitors of the South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology (ÖTZI) in Bolzano, Northern Italy. Logit models were used in order to estimate the set of independent variables that significantly influence both the overall satisfaction of the sample and the eventually differences between Italian and foreign visitors in the perception of satisfaction. The results suggested that the overall satisfaction was related to the origin of the respondent, their feelings, and motivations. Furthermore, opinion about showrooms and other services received during the visit appears to be positively and significantly related with overall satisfaction. From this knowledge, museum managers can profit in their willingness to offer the optimal museum experience, as well as museum marketers in their advertisement campaigns in Italy and abroad.