Satisfaction among Museum Visitors: The Holistic Approach Confirmed Empirical Evidence from the Anne Frank House Visitors

Abstract

Abstract This paper examines whether a holistic element affected the valuations of visitors to the Anne Frank House, an en-site historical museum. The holistic approach views a museum as a whole entity and not as the sum of individual items. For the purposes of our research, we developed a new set of instruments, based on a literature survey and practical experience. We collected our data by interviewing over 2,000 visitors to the world-renowned Anne Frank House during 1998 and 1999. Our findings show that visitors clearly view this museum from a holistic perspective: overall satisfaction was greater than satisfaction regarding any individual items. In this respect, the holistic approach appeals especially to younger people, Europeans and people of higher educational backgrounds. While the conclusions of this research project apply exclusively to the Anne Frank House, the innovative approach used to measure visitor satisfaction can be applied to any en-site historica! museum or similar tourist attraction.Museums; Satisfaction; Consumer behaviour; Services