Innovation Library: Visitor Services

Archaeological Area and the Patriarchal Basilica of Aquileia, Italy

New approaches for the conservation, interpretation and enhancing of the UNESCO site of Aquileia

What led you to initiate this innovation? Why was it needed? What was happening at the site that motivated you to develop and implement this innovation?

Prior to the establishment of Fondazione Aquileia in 2008, the Aquileia site was directly managed by the Italian Ministry of Culture (archaeological areas), the Municipality of Aquileia (urban planning) and the Archdiocese of Gorizia (the Basilica complex). The main focus for site management at Aquileia during this period was archaeological conservation and preservation. Visitor numbers were stable and low, with school groups accounting for the main source of visitors.

In 2008, Fondazione Aquileia was established to enhance and promote the site by the members the Italian Ministry of Culture, Friuli Venezia Giulia autonomous Region, the Province of Udine and the Municipality of Aquileia. In 2009, the Archdiocese of Gorizia joined the partnership. It is an innovative multilevel governance model for the management of cultural heritage that involves both public administrations (at national and local level) and a non-profit private partner. This organizational innovation has been recognized as "best practice" by the European Initiative "Culture for Cities and Regions" and by the Italian Award "Cultura di Gestione".

The foundation has created a strategy to make the more accessible for the general public. It is working to break down the prejudice that archaeology an elitist sector. Projects include improving interpretation at the site and the restoration of buildings to widen the cultural offer at Aquileia.

Describe the innovation - what did you do and how did you do it? Who was involved? Who was responsible? Who is managing this now?

Our strategic approach has led to the construction of two buildings: the Südhalle and the Domus e Palazzo Episcopale. The projects three main objectives: to preserve outstanding mosaics, revitalise two abandoned areas, the monumental UNESCO ensemble of the Basilica and the Baptistery and to let tourists and local population benefit from this cultural heritage. It consisted of restoring and "musealisation" of the mosaics of the Südhalle and in the archaeological excavations, restoration and "musealisation" of the mosaics of the Stalla Violin, now renamed Domus e Palazzo Episcopale. It represents the most important cultural operation carried out in Aquileia in recent years and work is currently underway to do the same at the Domus of Tito Macro.

The construction for this project is managed by Fondazione Aquileia and multidisciplinary teams including archaeologists, architects, restorers, experts in communication, photographers have been involved.

What was the result? What impacts have you achieved? What changes have taken place? Are they all positive? Were there negative impacts resulting from this?

The main result has been the preservation and usage of the cultural heritage. These projects allowed us to widen the cultural offer of Aquileia and receive mention in some of the most important tourist guides and Italian and international tourism magazines
The foundation has received archaeological and architectural recognition including, the Europa Nostra - Conservation prize in 2015 for the Südhalle and the Domus e Palazzo Episcopale has been shortlisted for the Society of Italian Medieval Archaeologists Riccardo Francovich prize.

The site has experienced a remarkable increase of the visitor numbers, with visitors to the Südhalle and Baptistery increasing by 52% from 2014 to 2016. Additionally, we have increased our visibility on social platforms such as Trip Advisor, with positive feedback and comments from visitors. Thus far, all the changes and impacts are positive and our carrying capacity is still under control.

What did you learn and what would you recommend to others if they wanted to replicate this innovation?

Innovative management and enhancement of cultural heritage will produce long-lasting impacts if the management system (i.e. the governance of the site) is effective and has a vision and strategic objectives.

**Contacts and useful links: **
Mr. Cristiano Tiussi, FONDAZIONE AQUILEIA Director
Fondazione Aquileia
Video - Paleochristian Mosaics of the Basilica Complex in Aquileia
Paleochristian mosaics of the Basilica complex

The Royal Domain of Drottningholm, Sweden

Royal Domain of Drottingholm, Sweden - World Heritage ticket - ongoing, started in 2012

What led you to initiate this innovation? Why was it needed? What was happening at the site that motivated you to develop and implement this innovation?

Many first time visitors are not aware of Drottningholm's World Heritage status, since the royal family and the royal history are far better known. This was something we wanted to change. Our ambition was also to interest more visitors to stay longer and see more of the site. There were difficulties in explaining to the visitors about our different packaged tickets, since there are several alternatives, depending on what you wish to see. Through changing the name of our most comprehensive bundled ticket to the "World Heritage ticket" we managed to address both these challenges.

Describe the innovation - what did you do and how did you do it? Who was involved? Who was responsible? Who is managing this now?

The WH ticket includes entrance to Drottningholm Palace, the Chinese Pavilion and the Palace Theatre. Changing the name was an easy step. But we also changed our sales approach. The World Heritage ticket is now always given as a first option at the cashier desks. This was a collaboration between the Drottningholm Palace Administration and the Palace Theatre.

What was the result? What impacts have you achieved? What changes have taken place? Are they all positive? Were there negative impacts resulting from this?

This resulted in not only raising the awareness among ticket buyers but also, of course, among the staff. Raising the awareness among the staff about the WH status also created many new opportunities for staff and visitors to talk about Drottningholm as a WH site. More visitors buy the World Heritage ticket now than before the initiative was launched. We believe that this has encouraged visitors to stay longer, even though we do not measure this. We have seen no negative impacts, just more engagement in the WH status.

What did you learn and what would you recommend to others if they wanted to replicate this innovation?

Drottningholm's main identity is its royal history. World Heritage is not as known. But with this innovation we can achieve a long term strategy for increasing knowledge about the site's World Heritage status. We encourage other sites to find solutions with related organizations or entrepreneurs to raise the profile of the World Heritage listing. Combining this with enhancing staff competence in both selling and WH knowledge has been a real success at Drottningholm.

Contacts and useful links:
Helena Chreisti
Drottningholm palace

Cultural Landscape of Sintra, Portugal

Sintra - Parques de Sintra Welcome Better

What led you to initiate this innovation? Why was it needed? What was happening at the site that motivated you to develop and implement this innovation?

This project was implemented to make the parks and palaces managed by Parques de Sintra an example of best practice for accessible tourism and equal access to natural and built heritage.

The objective of our project was to improve access for a broader range of visitors, in particular regarding:

• Mobility - physical access with new facilities and adapted physical spaces
• Quality of the services rendered
• Changes in communication methods and platforms

Describe the innovation - what did you do and how did you do it? Who was involved? Who was responsible? Who is managing this now?

This project is a Parques de Sintra initiative and involved an overall investment of around two million euros over three years (2013-2016), of which 25% was co-financed by Turismo de Portugal. It involved an in-depth investigation into best practices, which received input from several Portuguese stakeholder organizations, namely ACAPO (the Association for the Blind and Amblyopic in Portugal), APS (the Portuguese Association for the Hearing Impaired) and Associação Salvador (whose mission is to promote the inclusion of the physically impaired). For the duration of the project (Oct 2013 to Dec 2016), the company took on a grant-holding PhD candidate to research best practices, analysing case studies and looking into the products that were available on the global market. This enabled us to determine the best strategy and to select the best options for the expected outcomes. After the project's conclusion, all initiatives continued to be improved and expanded.

What was the result? What impacts have you achieved? What changes have taken place? Are they all positive? Were there negative impacts resulting from this?

As we were unable to make large-scale physical changes to the natural or built heritage, we needed to acquire new equipment. New acquisitions have included:

• Lightweight wheelchairs that are available to visitors who book them in advance
• Wheelchair tractors (swiss-trac) for slopes with gradients of up to 20%
• A stair climber for the National Palace of Sintra
• Wheelchair lifts (four available across the site)
• Several park benches, creating new rest areas in each park
• Movable ramps that can be placed or removed whenever needed, useful for expanding accessible visiting areas (for example, in the Palace of Sintra, accessibility has increased from 100m2 to over 600m2).
• Fixed steel ramps have also been installed wherever possible (e.g. in the new visit circuit in the National Palace of Sintra).
• We have new wheelchair accessible hybrid buses that connect the park entrance to the Palace of Pena. For areas inaccessible to these visitors, Parques de Sintra also built 3D models of the palaces and is currently preparing tactile maps developed with ACAPO that will improve autonomous navigation for the blind.

We have reserved disabled parking, ongoing regeneration of paths for better access, handrails on stairs, wheelchair accessible toilets, and lifts where possible (including the Palace of Pena, connecting the shop, restaurant and cafeteria, and the Palace of Queluz).
To improve our rendered service, the customer facing employees received training on quality standards and best practice along with issues related to physical disabilities, providing the tools to handle a greater diversity of visitors.

They have also attended Portuguese sign-language classes (organized by the APS, who also trained guides for tours designed for the hearing impaired). ACAPO helped to develop sensory tours, allowing visitors to experience the plants and animals in their natural habitat using all senses. Parques de Sintra's staff also received evacuation training for persons with disabilities and is currently preparing an evacuation plan which includes procedures to adequately assist disabled visitors.

Our Talking Heritage app was updated with audio descriptions, explanation of written texts and sign-language contents in three languages (tested by the APS) and available to all visitors on their own smartphones or on devices lent by the company.

Improvements have been made to online information and printed materials and signposts. The new website includes descriptions of the accessibility at all sites and has been developed to level AAA of the WCAG 1.0 making it accessible to citizens with disabilities. The printed visitor maps of the Pena, Monserrate and Moorish Castle parks now have recommended routes for people with reduced mobility and areas with steep slopes. A tactile version of the maps is being considered with ACAPO enabling visually impaired visitors to use the parks. Signs now include pictograms in addition to text so visitors with a low level of literacy or unfamiliar with the Portuguese or English languages can understand. A special price list for persons with disabilities has been created that takes into account the accessible areas in the parks and monuments.

Parques de Sintra also implemented a video call sign-language interpretation service for improved customer service. This was provided by a specialist intermediary who communicates with both the hearing-impaired person (via video) and a member of our call centre (via phone). This system, however, did not return the expected results (receiving only one call during 2016 as disabled visitors primarily utilised email), and the service was recently cancelled.

RESULTS (number of visitors monument + variation):

AWARDS:
2015: Acesso Cultura award - "Physical Accessibility" Category (national award)
2015: Design For All Foundation award - "Good Practice 2015" (international award)
2016: Design For All Foundation award - "Good Practice" in the category "Spaces, products
and services already in use" (international award)
2016: Silver Award winner of an IAUD Award (International Association for Universal Design
award) in the category "Public space design" (international award)
2017: "Recognition of Best Practices in Social Responsibilty" award by the Portuguese Ethics
Association in the "Human Rights" category (national award)
2017: "Diversity Champion" award by DIVERSITON.ALL in the Public Sector category
(international award)

What did you learn and what would you recommend to others if they wanted to replicate this innovation?

Establish partnerships with relevant stakeholders: Along with partnerships with Portuguese associations (ACAPO, APS and Associação Salvador), which were fundamental for the success of this project, we also joined the European Network for Accessible Tourism (ENAT). The main mission of this institution is to improve access at European tourism destinations for all visitors by making technical help available and by sharing knowledge and experience, undertaking the commitment to create equal opportunities for access tourism and culture.

Communicating the new welcoming conditions: to attract visitors with reduced mobility, we are currently attending international trade fairs devoted to accessible tourism (such as the Gitando.All fair in Italy) and we are actively communicating our innovations to companies and institutions linked to the sector.

Parques de Sintra Welcome Better | videos:
All parks and monuments (updated version)
National Palace of Queluz
National Palace of Sintra
Moorish Castle
Park and Palace of Monserrate
Park and National Palace of Pena

Trier, Germany

Royal monuments, cathedral of St Peter and church of our Lady in Trier, Germany - An Umbrella Brand, which defines Trier as the "Centre of Antiquity" north of the Alps

What led you to initiate this innovation? Why was it needed? What was happening at the site that motivated you to develop and implement this innovation?

The Roman monuments and the Rheinisches Landesmuseum, held by the General-Directorate of Cultural Heritage Rhineland-Palatinate, was brought together under the brand: "Trier - Centre of Antiquity". In 2013, when the brand was introduced, the intention was to form connections between the monuments and museum with the city of Trier, through an umbrella brand for tourists to experience Roman heritage. The aim was to increase the number of visitors, the visitor satisfaction, and attract new target groups by special offers. As one powerful brand, the Roman monuments together with the archaeological museum would subsequently attract national and international visitors.

Describe the innovation - what did you do and how did you do it? Who was involved? Who was responsible? Who is managing this now?

Ancient Trier can be experienced in the different Roman monuments and the museum, with each site representing special parts of everyday life in the Roman city. The Porta Nigra presents the gateway to the city, the Imperial Baths showcase the Imperial Residence and the Barbara Baths present Bathing and Luxury.

To promote this image to the public, the General-Directorate of Cultural Heritage Rhineland-Palatinate implemented various marketing activities, such as the successful introduction of one ticket to visit all the Roman monuments and the museum, leaflets for tourists and tour operators, one comprehensive tourist homepage etc. All of the marketing products were consistently designed in one layout to show their connection. In front of the buildings, steles were installed to inform the visitors about the buildings, to make their overall connection visible in public space, and, of course, encourage visitors to enter the monuments and experience Roman Heritage.

The brand was also presented inside of the buildings. For example, in the Porta Nigra a new entrance area was created to welcome visitors in an attractive way, and to provide them with all information needed. They can now watch modern animations to experience the monuments, such as through a new multimedia-guide. Also, a media installation was created to inform visitors about the history. Furthermore, the visually impaired can now experience the UNESCO Heritage side with a haptic model of the city.
Other monuments, such as the Imperial Baths, provide a multimedia guide, a new exhibition area with models, and an animated movie. In the Barbara Baths visitors can walk over a pier to access the excavation and learn about bathing in Roman times.
All the efforts to make UNESCO Heritage sites more attractive were supported by the Trier Tourismus und Marketing GmbH. Work has been particularly strong in the area of teaching culture and marketing. We have also established 'Adventure performances' to take visitors on a tour with a centurion through the Porta Nigra, or to discover the Amphitheatre with a gladiator. Also, we have utilised the umbrella brand across all media channels, including visitor leaflets, tickets for the Roman monuments, and so on.

What was the result? What impacts have you achieved? What changes have taken place? Are they all positive? Were there negative impacts resulting from this?

The introduction of the umbrella brand and the changes in the World Heritage sites was very effective for increasing visitation, the visitor satisfaction and publicity. The Roman monuments now provide detailed visitor information, and are more visible to the public. Also, people in the city identify with the Roman monuments, and even sport groups are using the brand in their marketing initiatives.

What did you learn and what would you recommend to others if they wanted to replicate this innovation?

In the process, the importance of all the different parts coming together was obvious, but this was the most challenging part. Coordination, communication, and thoughtful action plans were, as in every project, the key to establish "Trier - Centre of Antiquity".

Contacts and useful links:
General-Directorate of Cultural Heritage Rhineland-Palatinate
Rheinisches Landesmuseum Trier
Tina Altmayer, Marketing & Public Relations
Trier - Centre of Antiquity
www.gdke-rlp.de

Palace and Park of Versailles, France

Versailles - Mobile Application "Château de Versailles"

What led you to initiate this innovation? Why was it needed? What was happening at the site that motivated you to develop and implement this innovation?

The palace of Versailles is set on an estate of more than 800 hectares and houses several palaces: Château de Versailles, Grand Trianon and Petit Trianon. There are more than 7 million visitors per year, and to give them the best possible welcome and help them make the most of their time in Versailles we created an interactive map with more than 500 points of interest.

Visitors found this map very useful and we noticed that almost 50 % of its usage was on mobile devices, this is what led us to develop a dedicated app. In Versailles, most of the visitors are international, this is why we conceived this app as fully usable without connection to the Internet in order to avoid roaming fees. As there is no audio guide in the Gardens, for technical reasons, we still want to provide cultural content regarding the Gardens which is an outdoor museum filled with 386 artworks including 221 sculptures. There are numerous paths in the Gardens, allowing visitors to wander and feel the atmosphere of the 17th and 18th centuries.

Describe the innovation - what did you do and how did you do it? Who was involved? Who was responsible? Who is managing this now?

The app is a new tool that supports and highlights both cultural and practical aspects of the visit. There are 500 points of interest, from WIFI, to restaurants, the Kings Bedchamber to the Hall of Mirrors.

The full interactive map, with geolocation for the user, comes with a full audio guide of Palace of Versailles, for free, in three languages (French, English and Spanish). The map includes all points of interest of the Gardens, including the fountains, groves and shows.
Many new functionalities are expected in the coming months, including new indoor and outdoor cultural content, additional languages, e-commerce tools and indoor geolocation. We have also included high definition axonometric views of the ground floor and first floor of the Palace for the visitors to have a better understanding of the architecture and location of the site.

As the app becomes popular, we can reduce the need to distribute paper leaflets or plastic audio guides. It also allows visitors to keep all the content with them when they return home.

This project has been led by the communications department. The audio guide content has been prepared and developed by the cultural and public department with the help of curators.

What was the result? What impacts have you achieved? What changes have taken place? Are they all positive? Were there negative impacts resulting from this?

We proceeded to a soft launch in June 2017 and continued to update the app with enhanced contents and functionalities. Users are downloading the app and using the majority of its functions.

However, at the moment, visitors of Versailles are still using the audio guide and the app is a complement rather than a replacement.

What did you learn and what would you recommend to others if they wanted to replicate this innovation?

Apps are now really powerful and most visitors have a smartphone, this is why at Versailles we consider that the app is a central tool of communication with visitors and it will evolve in order to help visitors in many ways.

One of the key successes of this app, is to be both a cultural tool and a communication tool and the content is curated by both teams (Direction du Développement Culturel et direction de l'Information et de la communication) in a good coordination.

Contacts and useful links:
Paul Chaine: head of digital
Gilles Truyens: mobile project manager
Palace of Versailles - Audioguide tour and Map. Download it in GooglePlay or Itunes.  

Wieliczka and Bochnia Royal Salt Mines, Poland

Wieliczka and Bochnia Royal Salt Mines, Poland - UNESCO Sites Cross-promotion Through Art - International Open-air Painting Workshop for Disabled Artists

What led you to initiate this innovation? Why was it needed? What was happening at the site that motivated you to develop and implement this innovation?

The Krakow Saltworks Museum Wieliczka and Foundation of Disabled People's Art from Krakow initiated our innovation. The idea was to engage disabled, artistically gifted professionals and amateur painters to discover and develop their painting skills, find new motivation and aspiration, exchange their experiences and see new places. The first Open-Air Painting Workshop for Disabled was organized in 1999 in Wieliczka and proved to be a success. We had 137 participants from Poland and abroad, so the Museum and the Foundation decided to continue the project.

Painting Workshop is organized each year and it is still a popular and much anticipated event. Candidates for the workshop are sourced both by the Foundation and by the Museum. In addition to the group therapy, the program also plays an educational role. From the very beginning, workshops have been organized in Wieliczka and in other places or landmarks inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List and have taken the format of a two to three day trip. For example, in 2012 the open-air workshop was held in Wieliczka, Solivar and Bardejov (Slovakia) in co-operation with Polish and Slovak House. In 2016, the artists painted the Churches of Peace, UNESCO World Heritage site in Lower Silesia. This year the open-air event was held in Banská Štiavnica.

The museum organizes painting workshops many different groups including architecture or arts students; children, attending cultural centres or, alternatively, receiving social services, as well as other artists: sculptors, photographers or performers.

Describe the innovation - what did you do and how did you do it? Who was involved? Who was responsible? Who is managing this now?

We organise the open-air workshops once a year, at the end of spring, when it is warm and we can work outside. On the first day of the workshop the painters are able to paint both aboveground, in the castle and around the neighbourhood and in the mine in Wieliczka (the mine provides accessible entry). On the second day, the group travels to another UNESCO site in Poland or abroad, for another open-air painting session. Each artist works on one to four paintings. From all the works, one hundred are chosen to be exhibited both in our museum, in the Gallery of the Krakow University of Technology, and at the second location of each workshop, also abroad. In addition, our museum prepares, prints and disseminates a catalogue of these works. In our museum, the Education Department and Visitor Service Department is responsible for the project and they organize each workshop in cooperation with the Foundation of Disabled People's Art and with other foundations and organisations.

What was the result? What impacts have you achieved? What changes have taken place? Are they all positive? Were there negative impacts resulting from this?

This is an event which brings together and engages the local community. Our museum was presented with an award of Ministry of Culture and National Heritage for organising the open-air workshops. Secondly, the works often have a high artistic value, with some paintings being exhibited during the Plastic Arts International Biennales of the Disabled and other exhibitions. The information about the open-air workshops is presented in the media - on the internet, in the radio, in newspapers and magazines, social media etc. This is a good way to promote and maintain a favourable public image by a Museum along with presenting and promoting other UNESCO sites. It is also good way to establish long-term cooperation between UNESCO sites.

The only challenge can be the financing the project. Funding is needed to pay for a coach, the accommodation and the food for the workshops. It is always free of charge for participants. We split the costs between museum and cooperating organisations. For instance, the Foundation of Disabled People's Art is a non-profit organisation that receives subsidies from State Fund for the Rehabilitation of the Disabled [PFRON] and from City Halls, as well as donations. We, in turn, find sponsors, such as a major Polish bank. It is also possible to apply for grants from the state.

**What did you learn and what would you recommend to others if they wanted to replicate this innovation? **

Each UNESCO site can replicate and share this initiative. This is a project that can be realised and developed for years, bringing joy and satisfaction every time. From our experience it can be difficult to find other UNESCO sites that are able to support participation in the open-air painting workshops due to a variety of challenges including lack of time, funding or infrastructure.

Contacts and useful links:
Magdalena Waśniowska-Nowak
www.muzeum.wieliczka.pl
www.idn.org.pl  

Historic Town of Banská Štiavnica, Slovakia

SmartGuide

What led you to initiate this innovation? Why was it needed? What was happening at the site that motivated you to develop and implement this innovation?

Banská Štiavnica is considered one of the most beautiful towns in Slovakia. Every year the number of visitors increases. We live in era of fast developing technology, everyone and everything is online, and everyone owns a Smartphone. The aim was to engage with Smartphone users, utlise new technologies and attract new audience/visitors. The project wanted to go beyond delivering information about the site online, it wanted to provide an online tour though the cult dominants of Banská Štiavnica in the very centre of the town.

Describe the innovation - what did you do and how did you do it? Who was involved? Who was responsible? Who is managing this now?

SmartGuide is a free mobile app in Slovak and English providing basic information about Banská Štiavnica and its history. The app includes a 1.5 hour walking tour around the famous monuments in the town centre, including the Holy Trinity Square/Holy Trinity Column, the New Castle, the Old Castle, Kammerhof, Botanical garden and others. The tour identifies 18 points of interest that are briefly described including the most interesting information and photos. The aim of the app is to attract visitors to want to learn and experience more of the town and vicinity. The tour is available in written and spoken form.

What was the result? What impacts have you achieved? What changes have taken place? Are they all positive? Were there negative impacts resulting from this?

The Smartguide is designed for tourists who arrive in Banská Štiavnica when the Information Centre is closed or they don´t have time or want to go there to ask for information. It provides them with basic information about the town. The tour is designed to take 1.5 hour, it is suitable for individual visitors but for families too. The app can be used online or offline. There have been 1,000 downloads of the app since its launch in 2016.

We would like to encourage more visitors to use the app through promotion. Although visitors are informed about it in the Information Centre and it is also promoted on Banská Štiavnica travel website, visitors are not sufficiently informed about it.

What did you learn and what would you recommend to others if they wanted to replicate this innovation?

Use only interesting and useful information about a site. Information should inspire visitors to visit more attractions in the site and its vicinity.

Contacts and useful links:
Ján Sedilek
Henrieta Godová
SmartGuide Banská Štiavnica