Online reputation and user engagement as strategic resources of museums

The current analysis of the visitors and the factors that explain the number of museum visits require approaches beyond the traditional methods normally adopted for cultural studies. The internet offers great opportunities for these audiences to plan cultural activities and rate their experiences. However, the literature does not offer conclusive results about how people use and trust online media. This study assesses the role of the TripAdvisor online platform when deciding whether to attend museum events. Our results show that presence of museums in online platforms with User-generated Content (UGC) is a common practice but has not resulted in competitive advantages. However, the online reputation of a museum and the level of its visitor engagement are crucial intangible relational factors that influence expectations and visitor decision-making.