Director-general of the National Discovery Museum Institute (Museum Siam) says the museums are experiencing a growing interest from the part of the millenials, who have a changing perspective towards museums – naturally, to those museums that managed to adjust themselves, their approach and expositions to the contemporary requirements.
Museum Siam reports rising numbers of visitors after the recent opening of the MRT Blue Line extension in July with Sanam Chai station located right in front of the museum that sits on Sanam Chai Road near the Grand Palace. The number of visitors doubled both during weekend reaching 1,400-1,600 people and weekdays when 600-1,000 people come to the museum. During the first 10 months of 2019, Museum Siam welcomed 171,359 visitors including 35,586 international tourists. For comparison, in 2018 only 12,000 overseas visitors came the the museum.
To boost development of a museum culture in Thailand, Museum Siam joined hands with 63 museums nationwide and starting from December 1 offers the Thailand Museum Pass that covers entry to all participating museums. 31 of them are located in Bangkok and include Nitasrattanakosin, Banglamphu Museum, Siam Serpentarium and Tooney Toy Museum; others – elsewhere in the country. The pass costs 299 baht and is available to both Thais and foreigners. The pass is valid for one year from the date of its first use.
The Museum Pass is a great opportunity to keep some bucks in your pocket as standard admission fees for foreigners usually range between THB100 and THB300 for visiting one museum. The Museum Pass offers the same price for all – no double pricing.
Photo credit: @bangkokpost.com
Thailand Museum Pass to Help Boost Museum Culture
News in Asia
In a bid to create museum culture, museums in Thailand are pushing educational tourism – while laudable, the campaign looks rather challenging in the digital era of today.