We (Westport Maritime Museum, Westport, WA) are experiencing changing
visitor patterns.  Visitation has fluctuated from approximately from 10,500
to 14,500 annually over the past five years.  We've been able to correlate
these changes to both external and internal factors.

Until last summer, our museum was definitely an "incidental" attraction.
Most visitors (less than 5 percent local, 90 percent from other Washington
communities, about 7-9 percent from other states and foreign countries) came
to our ocean-front community came to fish, or enjoy the beach.  Museum
visits were incidental to these motivations and occurred because visitors
saw signs advertising the museum, were told about the museum by local
businesses and residents, or simply walked by the interesting looking
building (a Colonial Revival former USCG Lifeboat Station).  The number of
incidental visitors fluctuated according to weather and fishing seasons.
About two-thirds of each year's visitation occurred in the months of July
and August, which usually bring good weather and the opening of salmon
fishing.

Last summer we received a Coast Guard license to offer guided tours at Grays
Harbor Lighthouse, which is about two miles from the main museum campus.  We
quickly learned that  many lighthouse visitors were coming to Westport for
the specific purpose of touring the lighthouse.  Even in dreadful weather,
the visitors still came.

Late last year (in December) we opened a new exhibit building at the museum
featuring a 100-year-old first-order Fresnel lens that the Coast Guard has
placed on long-term loan to us.   The lens stands 18-feet-high and weighs
six tons.  The exhibit, although not unique, is a rare chance for visitors
to see and photograph an operating lens.  Although our experience with the
new building and lens exhibit is limited, we have been told by many
visitors, some from out-of-state, that they have come specifically to see
the lens exhibit.

These changing visitation patterns are in part a result of the new
attractions, and in part a result of marketing on a regional and national
basis.  If we had simply created the new attractions and not spread the
word, it is probable that very little would be changing.

We are, of course, very interested to see what more experience will reveal.

Bill Hanable
Managing Director
Westport Maritime Museum




-----Original Message-----
From: Celeste DeWald <[log in to unmask]>
Newsgroups: bit.listserv.museum-l
To: [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]>
Date: Monday, March 15, 1999 3:02 PM
Subject: Attendance for new museum


>Dear Museum-L subscribers:
>
>I am inquiring about trends and fluctuations in your museum's attendance.
>Have you recently (in the last five years) opened a new building or wing?
Do
>you have certain times of the year that your attendance sky rockets? If
yes,
>you can probably help me.
>
>I work for the National Steinbeck Center, a new museum in Salinas,
>California, which opened June 27, 1998. We are currently embarking on a
>strategic planning process with our board and staff, with one, three, and
>five year goals. Some of our primary questions relate to our projected
>attendance for the next couple years. In order to plan for our future, we
>need some estimation of our attendance. We are hoping that the subscribers
>to this listserv might be able to guide us with anecdotal evidence of their
>experiences.
>
>If you recently opened a new building or wing, how did your attendance
>change over the years? Did it increase or decrease?
>
>Does your museum have a particular busy season, when attendance is higher
>than usual? By what percentage does your attendance increase?
>
>We realize that the responses will vary greatly depending on your museum
and
>your community. We assume that our attendance is going to increase as word
>of mouth spreads and that the summer months (tourist season in Monterey
>County) will produce more visitors. We appreciate any information you can
>provide. Feel free to respond on or off the list.
>
>Thank you very much for your time.
>
>Celeste DeWald
>
>Celeste DeWald, Curator of Education
>National Steinbeck Center
>One Main Street, Salinas, CA 93901
>(831) 775-4730 / fax (831) 796-3828
>[log in to unmask]
>