Independent museums have been told to recognise the fact that they are “100 per cent part of the visitor economy”.
Bill Ferris, chairman of the Association of Independent Museums (AIM), told delegates at the organisation’s conference: “The point is that most of us are engaged in the visitor economy.”
He added: “It is a no- brainer for me. We need visitors, so we need to influence strategic tourism. It is not good enough to wait for them to bring us visitors.
“The message for our members is that they have to engage with the tourism sector and recognise our role in that as part of the product.”
Ferris’s words are backed up by research commissioned by AIM that showed that independent museums welcome about 337m visitors each year, generating £124m and employing about 6,000 staff.
The initial findings, prepared by DC Research for a report entitled Economic Value of Independent Museums, were presented at last month’s AIM conference.
The report is due to be published this month, alongside a toolkit designed to help members demonstrate the impact of their activities on their local and regional economies.
Bill Ferris, chairman of the Association of Independent Museums (AIM), told delegates at the organisation’s conference: “The point is that most of us are engaged in the visitor economy.”
He added: “It is a no- brainer for me. We need visitors, so we need to influence strategic tourism. It is not good enough to wait for them to bring us visitors.
“The message for our members is that they have to engage with the tourism sector and recognise our role in that as part of the product.”
Ferris’s words are backed up by research commissioned by AIM that showed that independent museums welcome about 337m visitors each year, generating £124m and employing about 6,000 staff.
The initial findings, prepared by DC Research for a report entitled Economic Value of Independent Museums, were presented at last month’s AIM conference.
The report is due to be published this month, alongside a toolkit designed to help members demonstrate the impact of their activities on their local and regional economies.
