Measuring visitor experiences at a modern art museum and linkages to the destination community

Abstract. The purpose of this study is to analyse visitors’ experience and likelihood of
return to the Italian Museum for Modern and Contemporary Art (MART) based in
Rovereto. The empirical data was obtained from a survey undertaken in the months from
September to November 2009. A motivation-satisfaction theoretical model is used to
analyse the attractiveness factors of the museum based on internal forces (push
motivations) and external forces (pull motivation) and the causal relationship to
satisfaction and loyalty. A Structural Equation Model (SEM) is used as a confirmatory
tool of the hypothetical model. The findings reveal that tourists visiting the MART are
mainly motivated by push factors, such as relaxation, looking for a new experience and
learning new things. Loyalty also positively influences the probability of returning to the
MART and the likelihood of recommending it to friends and family. Visiting the city or
the surrounding region of Trentino had no impact on visitors’ satisfaction and loyalty to
the MART. Also, loyalty to MART also did not mean that visitors would recommend a
visit to the city of Rovereto