Many museums and historical sites are mainly visited by tourists but not local people. Why is this the case and what can be done to attract more local people to visit these places?

In terms of footfalls in museums and historical places, local residents have always paled in comparison with tourists from outside. In

this

essay, I would discuss the reasons behind

this

scenario and present some solutions to encourage the locals in visiting these places. The reduced interest of local visitors in museums can primarily be attributable to the lack of variation in the location centric displays and activities.

In other words

, displaying new exhibits or organizing innovative programs is few and rare which makes it monotonous to local people as compared to the newcomers.

For instance

, Bangalore Palace has seen only foreign sightseers, since, it has not changed its historical exhibits in the past 40 years.

Furthermore

, historical sites do not come cheap. In fact, even local visitors are often required to pay a substantial fee for entrance that discourages them from exploring these sites.

Therefore

, in order to drum up more interest of homegrown residents in coming to tourist centres, a number of measures can be employed.

First

and foremost, one needs to organise activities incorporating art performances which are not repetitive.

This

not only encourages the attendance of local people but

also

offers a great opportunity to educate them about their history.

For instance

, the Mysore Palace would attract more locals if it could organize regular dance and music festivals.

Secondly

, the authorities can

also

lower the admission fee or offer discounts to local inhabitants. To conclude, nation’s cultural and historical sites can be of little interest to local citizens being too familiar with the attractions they depict.

However

, with more open-door policies to use

such

locations for public-oriented activities and organizing educative tours for youngsters would popularize these locations among the local population.