More is better! Crucial issues and challenges for museum audience development in a multicultural society. A literature review

The purpose of this conceptual paper is to investigate how research on museum management has approached audience development and community engagement in a multicultural society, where cross-cultural understanding and respect for human diversity are a shared commitment. The exploratory research opted for a literature review aiming to grasp both the state of the art on museum visitor studies and the most relevant issues concerning the scientific debate on this topic. After analysing the main features emerging in the last twenty years, the research considers some pilot projects involving immigrant communities, suggesting practice recommendations and guidelines for further research. The expected results concern gaps in research methods and aims, and hypothesis for future field research. The paper fulfils an identified need to promote the development of visitor surveys, in order to support museums in achieving their mission and maximizing value creation, also foreseeing implications for the innovation of cultural policies.