Museums and their role in tourist attraction and cultural tourism development

a case study (Sabratha Classical Museum)

Abstract

Museums have a major role in promoting the national loyalty and belonging to societies, for their importance in introducing civilizations. Countries establish museums for several goals, including educational, cultural and economic, and tourist attractions. Museums also have a developmental role in tourist attractions in particular, through offering opportunities for interaction between members of society and tourists and cultural exchange. Museums display the history of regions and their cultural heritage. The interaction between museums and tourism is shown through promoting tourism activities and recruiting more visitors which results in increasing the national income. Museums are cultural and scientific centers that display historical and cultural content in the form of attractive presentations. This research aims to identify museums and their role in achieving tourist attractions, and the extent of their impact as a tool for education and tourist attractions. Some research results showed that museums represent an important source of tourism culture. Museums have a major role in the advancement of cultural tourism as they represent a universal language It can be read, understood and benefited from. It is recommended to pay attention to museums, and working to activate their role as one of the elements of tourist attractions, and their importance in promoting cultural tourism.