Best Practice for Marketing Heritage Site: Analysing the Medina National Museum in Saudi Arabia

Abstract

In recent years, the tourism industry has been recognized as a particularly important business sector because of its vast potential to impact on the wider economy. Heritage tourism provides direct benefits for regional economies and heritage sites are an essential component of this. Heritage tourism enhances economic development within local communities and this study will accordingly focus on the best practice for increasing visitation to regional heritage attractions in order to generate the maximum economic benefit. This study is based on secondary data collected, which means that the researcher has gathered data from other scholars using the interpretive social science paradigm. This study investigates best practice at the national museum in Medina city in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia by identifying the values of the site and analysing motivational factors that attract tourists. In addition, the study identifies the stakeholders in the Madinah region and investigates the preservation strategies on the site and the current state of the restoration process by the Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage. This study also analyses the marketing strategies of the site and will identify best practice for promoting the site for both local and international tourists. Finally, based on the results, the study offers some suggestions and recommendations to increase the number of visitors to the Medina National Museum in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Key Words: Heritage sites, best practice, marketing strategies , motivational factors.