Advantages and Disadvantages of Dubai Museum Essay

SUMMARY Research was conducted through distributing questionnaires to the visitors of the Dubai museum. The findings illustrated that the advantages of the location showed that it was easy to locate, and is located near the metro station. However, findings have also showed that the parking spaces at the Dubai museum are limited and lanes are more congested making it harder for other vehicles and tour buses to reach the museum. OBJECTIVES To identify the advantages and disadvantages of the Dubai museum location. To identify the different implications of visiting patterns. To exhibit the findings from the research taken and recommendations to improve the location of the Dubai museum. INTRODUCTION Dubai is known for its huge malls, ideal looking hotel and its gleaming skyscrapers; nonetheless, Bur Dubai maintains its culture and history (TVtrip, Bastakiya, 2013). Dubai museum is one of the most attractable historical monuments in Dubai with the aim of presenting a culture and a traditional way of life in the past. It is located in Al- Fahidi Fort, which is a landmark in the Gulf as well as the United Arab Emirates. Al Fahidi Fort subsisted to protect the city against any incursions; therefore, the Dubai Museum presents several dimensions of the region’s ethnicity before  oil was found (TVtrip, Bastakiya, 2013). The location also plays an important role in find some key elements, which may have effects on the museum. Therefore, analyzing the location would help the museum to find the best solution to improve the museum and increase an amount of visitors. As management perspectives, this report examines strengths and weakness of the location while highlighting benefits of visiting Dubai museum in order to identify a number of visitors coming and returning to the museum frequently. Museums are a place where people are able to see ethnicity, antiquity and originality. People are curious and want to gain knowledge of different people and cultures. The architecture of a museum is very important and it gives an insight into our history and the way a civilisation lived in the past (TVtrips, Hotels near: Dubai Museum, 2013). Al Fahidi Fort was built in 1799 and is a monument as it is a link between our history and our future. The Dubai museum is located close to Bastakiya, which is one of the oldest heritage places in Dubai (Virtual Tourists, Souqs, 2013); it presents an appealing indication of what Dubai previously looked like as it is filled with customary pizza houses and traditional wind towers (Virtual Tourists, Dubai Museum, Dubai, 2013). The walk from Bastakiya to the Dubai museum is approximately 130 meters, which is a two-minute walk (Google Maps, 2013). The Dubai museum is located near seven worldwide known hotels and they are: Arabian Courtyard Hotel and Spa, Orient Guest House, Regent Palace Hotel, Desert Rose Hotel Apartments, Horizon Holiday Apartments, Nova Hotel and Royal Mirage Residence and Spa (Plus. Google, 2013). According to the primary research conducted, there are numerous tourists that stay at hotels close to the Dubai museum in order to experience Dubai’s authenticity and culture. Furthermore, the results show that 88% of tourists and residents found the Dubai museum easy to locate. The reason for which the Dubai museum was set up in Al Fahidi fort was due to its surroundings and background. For instance, the residents of the vicinity can interact with the tourists, therefore, the tourist are given a vivid depiction of the authentic cultural experience. The location of the museum has been a very significant to its surroundings and heritage. Because of  it’s location, the Dubai museum is set in a culturally based area that is far from the advancement of infrastructure but set in a place where people are being presented of how Dubai was back then where it’s cultural heritage roots progressed. ADVANTAGES & DISADVANTAGES The Dubai museum is located near Al Fahidi metro station (1 km); this can be both, beneficial and detrimental. The first advantage is that the individual gets a further authentic experience by walking from the metro station and making stops to heritage sites. The notion ‘tourist gaze’ can be implied through the tourists taking their time in visiting cultural locations as they make their way to the Dubai museum. However, according to the questionnaire conducted, only 10% of the respondents use the metro, whereas 33% of the respondents use the tour bus, as it is more convenient. Furthermore, the survey results indicate that 59% of the people think that the location of the Dubai museum needs adjustments in relation to the parking spaces. The parking spaces available are very limited, therefore, visitors are forced to park their cars elsewhere. Using the example based on the customer feedback, there was difficulty in finding parking spaces; tourists had to wait approximately 15 minutes in order to find a parking space. Additionally, tour busses’ parking spaces are very limited as well and this can cause inconvenience to both, tourists and visitors. Moreover, due to the Dubai museum being located at the heart of Bur Dubai, lanes are very congested and as a result, getting to the museum is made more difficult. IMPLICATIONS OF VISITING PATTERNS The implications of Dubai museum for visitors are very significant. The Dubai museum provides experiences, enjoyment and education to people of all ages and backgrounds. The visitors are free to explore and discover the traditional way of life and the technological advancement of Dubai that may lead to intellectual and cultural growth. Moreover, the museum also facilitates the outside learning to develop some cognitive skills such as  divergent thinking, problem solving, critical analysis and better understanding of the history. Throughout Dubai museum, visitor would realize some important landmarks before the city’s rapid development from a small fishing village to a modern city. As the result, Dubai attracts a lot of people from different countries; for instance, in 2007 the Dubai museum welcomed 1,800 visitors per day with a total of 612,000 in a year (Johnson, 2008). According to the survey, 82% of the people said that it is their first time visiting Dubai museum. It depends on their purpose or their jobs such as travel guides or enjoyable purpose or educational purpose. All the reasons together prove that Dubai museum is an interesting and useful place for travel guides introducing to their tourists, people understanding deeply about Dubai history and student developing some necessary skills. Furthermore, as a result of the visitor’s satisfaction with the museum and what it has to offer, according to the questionnaire conducted, 88% of the respondents said that they would recommend the museum to their family and friends. THE FINDINGS We conducted a survey by distributing questionnaires to visitors of the Dubai museum in order to achieve our objective, which was finding the advantages and disadvantages of the Dubai museum location and the implication of its visitation frequency. The survey have shown that out of 58 people 35 who were the tourists have said that it was their first time visiting the museum. 15 out 58 were the residents and students who had stated that it was their first time. And only 8 of the respondents have said that it was not their first time.16% were the percentage of people who came by taxi.33% of whom preferred the bus. And 10% of them take the metro. 39% of the people who answered the survey said that they wouldn’t change anything about the location of the museum. However 59% of the people would suggest a better parking space. And 2% of the people said that they would want to have less traffic around the location of the Dubai museum. In accordance to recommending the museum to family and friends 88% of the respondents said yes and 12% of them said no. 88% of visitors found the Dubai museum easy to locate and the survey shows that 33% of visitors use the bus in order to  visit the museum. CONCLUSION The location of the Dubai museum is based in Al Fahidi Fort at the heart of Bur Dubai. Generally museums are representatives of a country’s ethnicity and heritage; and so therefore it has been placed in Al Fahidi Fort, which was built in 1799, creating an enhanced authentic experience. With a variety of strengths, Dubai museum is attracting both residents and tourists from many countries over the world. The advantages of the Dubai museum’s location are nearby hotels such as, the Arabian Courtyard Hotel and Spa, and Orient Guest House, as well as the existence of a nearby metro station making it more convenient. However, the location of the metro station can be a drawback as a result of hot summers and high chances of an individual losing their way towards the Dubai museum. A large proportion of people are very satisfied about what they have discovered in the museum and they would recommend Dubai museum to their friends and families as well as come back the museum for different purposes such as enjoyable, educational reasons or job purposes. Reference Lists: Google Maps. 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