THE IMPACT OF THE CORONAVIRUS OUTBREAK ON MUSEUM VISITS: THE CASE OF IZMIR

Abstract

It is considered important to visit museums that provide information about the history, traditions and social values for individuals or group straveling for cultural purposes. The number of tourists has been increasing rapidly recently who have researched what types of museums exist before traveling and the characteristics of the artifacts in the museums. In this context, it is understood that museum visits are not only part of the travel but also sometimes the main purpose of the travel. However, in times of crisis (economic, war, political, natural disaster) as well as in epidemic situations, tourism activities are negatively affected and museum activities also decrease accordingly. In this context, the aim of the research is to compare the number of visitors to museums in Izmir during the Coronavirus outbreak with the previous year and to reveal the change experienced by statistical figures. Secondary data analysis was used as a research method and museum statistics were used. When the research results are examined, it is understood that the coronavirus epidemic has more negative effects than other crises. However, it is also seen that museum visits again begin as of June 2020.