Abstract

This research is conducted about the role of technology in museums. As museums are intended to provide learning and entertainment experiences to the visitors, therefore, this research has analysed how the technology used at the museums is helping in increasing the learning and entrainment experiences. The present research aims to investigate how the use of technology at museums influences the learning and entertainment experience of tourists. This research has examined the previous studies related to role of technology in learning and experience of museum visitors. It has analysed how technology is used for enhancing the tourists learning at museum. Further to this, it has analysed the how use of technology at museum is influencing visitors that has various learning styles (i.e. visual, auditory and kinaesthetic). With the empirical survey, this research study has examined how technology can enhance the guest’s interaction for purposes of entertainment. Moreover, it has investigated how technology is important for the future of museums and if so how it should be used. For completing this research, both quantitative and qualitative methods are used. The sample of 50 tourists of UK Museums is studied in this research. The results have proved that the role of technology in enhancing the tourists’ learning and entertainment is quite important. Therefore, it must be adopted actively. At the end, the recommendations and future research directions are provided.

1.Introduction

1.1.Background:

Tourism is defined as the temporary movement of people from their home destination to outside destinations which are away from their residence and work sites. It also involves all activities which are undertaken by them during their stay along with the facilities that they use (Horner and Swarbrooke, 2016). According to Estol and Font (2016), tourists are those who stay at least twenty-four hours in any destination, given that their stay is temporary. McKercher (2016) defines that tourism has demand and supply; tourists are those people who have the ability to travel and they comprise of the demand side, on the other hand, supply side consists of transportation, accommodation, tourism services and other facilities. Tourists experience is critical in both business world and academic research (Uriely, 2005). It is of utmost importance to understand how experience in tourism industry is influenced as tourists visit destinations for gaining experience (Neuhofer, Buhalis and Ladkin, 2012). In the last decade the role of information technology has increased in tourism industry and it has revolutionised this industry (Buhalis and Law, 2008). Therefore, the present research considers how the role of technology is helping in enhancing the experience of tourists while they visit the museums. Other than entertainment, museums are source of learning. Museums are institutions that do not only perform function of scholarship but they are also used for education (Fletcher,  2016). These both functions are essential but they had become separated. With the help of digital technologies, both functions are revitalised. The examples of technologies that are helping in enhancing the learning are simulations, presentation, internet and multi-media. The learning tasks have been facilitated and accelerated with the help of technologies (Mulcahy, 2016). The digital technology adopted by museums influence the all learning styles including visual, auditory and kinaesthetic (Bevan, 2016). However, this is not empirically studied yet how the technology is influencing the entertainment experience and learning of tourists. Therefore, this research is about analysing the importance and value of technology for entertainment experience and learning of tourists.

1.2.Research Rationale

In the era of globalisation, tourism industry is rapidly changing. Therefore, it has become important for this industry to re-organise itself as per the needs and demands of the customers. One of the most important changes that has potential to bring change in this industry is the use of technology in museums (Butler and Hinch, 2007). But up till now, reluctance has been observed in researchers regarding exploring this critical perspective of role of technology in learning and entertainment. Angkananon, Wald and Gilbert (2016) mentioned that tourism is expanding with a rapid pace and the rate of growth for travellers is also accelerating with a huge speed. Now, there are over billions of travellers that travel all over the world as tourists. The number of visitors to tourists is also increasing and visitors have various rationales for their visit to museums (Lien et al., 2016). There is a need to study how use of technology is enhancing the entertainment and learning of (Vera, Sánchez and Cervantes, 2016). As time is passing, the modern techno