The Role of Museums in Cultural Tourism and New Visions for Korean Museums

This study explores that a growing interest in the mutual cooperation with tourism sectors has further developed the potential of museums as main cultural tourism attractions. The roles of museums have evolved throughout the ages from a cabinet of private collections to a venue for public education. The museums have also played an increasingly important role in attracting more culturally-motivated tourists by providing knowledge and pleasure at the same time through their collections. It is obvious that Korean museums need to apprehend and recognise their roles in better attracting and serving tourism as well as enhancing their prime function- to educate the public. Therefore, this paper involves to assess the present conditions of four major museums in Korea (The National Museum, The National Folk Museum, Hoam Art Museum and Kyungju National Museum) and their relationships with tourism and to examine the degrees of cooperation with various organisations such as KNTO and The Ministry of Culture and Tourism by employing qualitative research methods. By evaluating this research, it is found that the museums observed are fully aware of the significance of their recreational role in the context of leisure and tourism industry. But it is needed that some fundamental problems including the training of qualified curators, the extensive involvement of private sectors and the emphasis on various programmes in which visitors can experience both a learning and a fun should be tackled. Finally, the benefit of employing some marketing strategies in the management of museums is highlighted by suggesting some successful approaches in the UK.