The opening of more museums in the country is seen to influence both foreign and local tourists to explore more destinations nationwide, a top museum official said.

“When tourists go to a country especially for the first time, they are really interested in getting to know the place, especially the youth,” National Museum of the Philippines director Jeremy Barns told The STAR.

“So for many tourists, the big museums are the first places they go (to) because in a short visit, maybe an hour or so, they can get a good glimpse of the culture, the history,” he added.

Barns said museums could be the first step in educating and showcasing to tourists what the Philippines has to offer.

“And then people will take their knowledge and appreciation and go from here in Metro Manila and go around the country to the sites they want to see, to the animals they want to observe, the forests, the beaches,” Barns said.

With the recent opening of the National Museum of Natural History Philippines, Barns said they have seen growing interest from Filipinos for museums.

He cited that on the museum’s opening day last May 18, a total of 3,757 registered guests visited the museum, higher than the usual crowd of over 2,000 visitors a day.

The newly opened museum saw even higher foot traffic on its first weekend as it welcomed a total 5,710 visitors on Saturday and 6,837 visitors on Sunday.

Barns said this might not be only driven by the curiousity of people, but as well as public’s interest to learn something new and visit new places.

“So I think people are hungry for cultural, educational and scientific friendly places where families, groups of friends, visitors guests can come,” he said.