Fondazione Santagata was commissioned by the Associazione Abbonamento Musei to evaluate the value generated by the instrument over the past 25 years and its impact on visitor behavior in Piedmont, Lombardy, and Aosta Valley.

Context

Over the last 25 years, Abbonamento Musei has established itself as a fundamental tool for incentivizing cultural consumption in Piedmont, Lombardy, and Aosta Valley. Promoted by the Associazione Abbonamento Musei, the program provides citizens with facilitated access to museums and exhibitions, contributing significantly to the enhancement of local cultural heritage. [1, 2]

Objectives

The impact study aims to:
  • Evaluate the economic and cultural spillover effects generated by Abbonamento Musei within the involved territories;
  • Highlight the program’s role in supporting access to culture, with a specific focus on museums and exhibitions;
  • Provide an analytical framework useful for future strategic decisions.

Project Phases

The research was developed through the following operational phases:
  • Analysis of information sources: collection of statistical data and performance analysis of participating museums from 1998 to the present.
  • Data and information review: quantitative and qualitative deep dive into access dynamics, including the generated economic flows.
  • Qualitative interviews: engagement of stakeholders such as museum directors, cultural experts, and institutional representatives.
  • Elaboration of the impact study: analysis and presentation of the results, focusing on the incentivizing effect of the membership card.

Key Results

The study highlighted:
  • Increase in cultural visits: Abbonamento Musei stimulated the number of visitors, leading in the last year to an additional revenue volume for museums of over 920,000 euros in Piedmont and 398,000 euros in Lombardy, compared to a system without a membership subscription.
  • Impact on cultural consumption: in Piedmont, despite lower education levels and overall cultural consumption below the national average, museums stand out as cultural attractors of excellence, featuring a high number of “frequent” visitors.
  • Territorial enhancement: the program favored the promotion of local cultural heritage, making the museum offering more accessible and contributing to social cohesion

Client

Associazione Abbonamento Musei