It has been a great year for almost all museums in Brabant. Especially for the Overloon War Museum. There, the record number from 1984 was broken with 153,000 visitors. Tourism expert Goof Lukken from Breda University sees an explanation for the current success of the museums in the corona period. “In that time, technology has developed enormously and has become much more interactive. That’s what people want. And no longer just looking at things from the past.”
The War Museum did not expect that 2023 would be a record year. “Very nice and a confirmation that we are doing well,” says Janneke Kennis of the museum. There is a lot about the Second World War in Overloon.
Kennis agrees that simply looking at historical things is no longer good enough. “With tanks we have interactive screens that tell the story and we also have game assignments to exchange codes, for example.”
“Museums have looked closely at theme parks.”
Tourism expert Lukken sees that people are increasingly choosing to do something that gives them an experience. “Museums have taken a good look at theme parks and are now ensuring that visitors experience something. The Van Gogh Museum with their Pokémon campaign is a very good example. For children, their phone is their life, and museums are increasingly responding to this.”
Most museums have kept up with the times, says Goof Lukken. Partly due to corona, many technical and digital tools have been developed and become normal. “And also affordable for museums that have been hit hard financially during the corona period because there were no visitors.”
National Monument Camp Vught received many more visitors in 2023 for the exhibition about the past of the concentration camp, which was renewed just before the corona period. “The numerous personal stories are in a contemporary and appealing presentation,” says director Jeroen van den Eijnde.
With more than 87,000 visitors, there was an increase of approximately 20 percent. What the museum also notices is that current wars cause people to look for the past.
“People make a day out of it.”
The Stedelijk Museum in Breda, which reopened early last year after renovations, has an exhibition about the Nassaus with many playful and interactive elements. “We are certainly seeing an upward trend in visitors,” says Lauren Brand of the museum, but at the same time she notices something else about the visitors. “There are a lot of people who make a day out of it.”
Goof Lukken fully recognizes this trend. “People stack their experiences. They will first do something serious like a museum. Then they go to the city for lunch with the children. And then do something fun like shopping or going to a zoo. Then everyone in the family will benefit from it.”