Museum night in Buenos Aires city in the framework of cultural tourism: an impact approach

Abstract

The museums have served as the main attraction for tourists in many cities. In some cases, they help to define the general tourist product of a destiny and in others are the essential element of tourist product.

In the last decade the local Government of Buenos Aires city, Argentina, has been developing different activities closely associated with the interest of placing the city on the cultural map and global tourist circuits.

The night of the museums is one more among others (world festival of tango, notable bars, etc.)

This proposal was born in 1977 in Berlin as the "Long Night of the Museums". Then, a hundred cities in Germany and 50 in the rest of the world imitated it. Buenos Aires became the first American city to join this initiative in 2004. Therefore, one Saturday a year, the museums of the city remain open at night, wearing its rich heritage and combining diverse aesthetic proposals.

Twenty-nine museums and cultural spaces, receiving 35,000 visits participated in its first edition. Since then, and until today, it not ceased to grow in institutions and public. This paper attempts to analyze the evolution and the socio-economic and cultural impact of this event on the dynamics of the city, subject to data availability.