Bad weather and half price are driving record visits to the country's museums. At least that's the conclusion being drawn in the media these days, as the country's museums report record numbers of visitors. Several places have even had to ask museum visitors to postpone their visits due to overcrowding. But the picture is not quite that simple. 

The Green Museum has also seen record high visitor numbers in the wake of society's gradual reopening following the COVID-19 pandemic. But with 6 hectares of outdoor space and 6000 m2 of exhibition space, there is ample opportunity for many more guests to have an experience without the risk of crowds and traffic jams.

We have asked 72 visiting groups at the Green Museum. And they actually do not agree with the media's interpretation: a large majority answer that they would have come regardless of the halving of ticket prices.

“Journalists would like to attribute the museums’ good visitor numbers to the bad weather and half-price museums,” says director of The Green Museum, Anne Bjerrekær, “but that is not the whole explanation. I also believe that the work with a solid activity program, new exhibition and increased marketing has yielded results.”

The Green Museum's quick survey cannot of course substitute for a thorough analysis, but it indicates that the picture is somewhat more complex than one might initially expect.

We are naturally left with a number of questions that many stakeholders could benefit from having clarified in more detail: are there regional differences? Does the picture look different at museums in cities compared to museums in more rural locations? How many cancelled trips abroad have been converted into holidays in Denmark? What is the composition of the guests compared to a normal season, etc.

“The weather is difficult to deal with, but it obviously plays a role. But we have previously seen summers with bad summer weather, where the number of visitors has not grown for that reason,” says Anne Bjerrekær, “I therefore choose to conclude that the success is primarily due to a super good activity program, supported by good volunteers, the opening of visitor magazines and the special exhibition STORT. But it is undoubtedly helped along by the fact that Danes are increasingly vacationing in Denmark, and miss good shared experiences.”

Have a good (museum) summer!