Guide Perspective to Product Development in Cultural Tourism : Case Provincial Museum of Lapland

Cultural tourism is a broad market of the tourism industry. Culture, heritage and history are important elements for both locals and tourists. Museums are an essential part of cultural tourism and act as one of the most common attractions while traveling. The main products of museums are exhibitions which showcase representations of specific topics or enhancements of a nation. Developing these products is a continuous process in order to match the demand of the tourism industry. Needs and wants of customers keep changing as desire for more authentic experiences keeps increasing amongst tourists. The aim of this thesis was to gain suggestions of guides on how to develop the exhibition Northern Ways further. Guide perspective was utilized since guides work with tourists at close distance and can see the functionalities of a product from a professional point of view. This study was conducted utilizing qualitative research methods. Secondary data was gathered for the theoretical framework and it included topics of culture and heritage tourism, museums and product development. The primary data was collected through in-depth interviews with guides working at the Provincial Museum of Lapland. The results gave good insight into the feelings and thoughts of guides regarding the exhibition. Main suggestions included adding more Sami elements to the exhibition, as well as reorganizing the area in a more functional manner. Geographical background information of the area should be added in order to help tourists understand it better. Furthermore, the relevance of Petsamo aspect in the exhibition should be considered. Additions of technological appliances and interactive elements could be implemented. Animal and nature elements of the exhibition were highly appreciated amongst the respondents. As demand is higher, space issues should be configured by the museum, in order to match the increasing of visitor numbers. The results of the thesis are useful for the Provincial Museum of Lapland to utilize in the further development of the product; however, the theoretical framework can be useful for other cultural attractions working in tourism