Students’ fieldtrip
The first time I visited Fulham Palace was in 2017, accompanied by Dr. Alix Slater and our PG International Tourism Management students. Our purpose was to explore the roles of volunteers in heritage preservation, interpretation, and visitor management at the site. Sian Harrington, the Chief Executive of Fulham Palace Trust, provided us with an overview of the site’s management, as well as the opportunities and challenges involved in attracting visitors. Following her talk, our students had the opportunity to participate in an archaeologist’s ongoing excavation project, which offered them a multi-sensory experience.
After our visit, we continued our discussions on visitors’ accessibility and motivations for engaging with heritage. In comparison to other popular attractions in London, Fulham Palace may not be as easily accessible for international tourists who have limited knowledge of the city’s public transportation system. Getting to the palace would require a roughly one-hour journey involving transfers between three tube lines (Northern, Piccadilly, and District) starting from Hendon Central Station. As a result, day-trippers may not prioritize a visit to Fulham Palace unless they have a specific interest in religious sites. Even tourists staying in London for 2-3 days are more likely to choose attractions such as St. Paul’s Cathedral or Lambeth Palace over Fulham Palace. This raises an important question: How can we make Fulham Palace more visible, accessible, and appealing to visitors?
Visitor segmentation
Similar to most National Trust sites in the UK, Fulham Palace has a historical house, a botanic garden (which happens to be the second oldest botanic garden in London!), and extensive grounds. This combination offers great benefits for both tourists and local communities, catering to their various health and well-being needs. The garden and grounds provide a pleasant environment where mothers with children, seniors, and young couples can enjoy themselves. It’s worth noting that dogs are not permitted on the site, with the exception of guide and assistance dogs, as this policy is in place to ensure the preservation of the heritage.
Post-Pandemic visit
After the UK government lifted all COVID travel restrictions in March 2022, my research team and I had the opportunity to revisit Fulham Palace. We wanted to assess the impact of digitalization on tourists’ experiences at heritage sites and cultural venues, considering that digital tools and platforms have been introduced during the pandemic. One notable addition was the availability of online visual stories, allowing visitors to explore the site virtually.
We aimed to understand how digitalization enhanced tourists’ interpretation and engagement when they physically visited the site. During our interviews, we spoke with a historian who teaches religious studies in Italy. He acknowledged that the video provided a general overview of the Bishops of London, but he expressed a desire for more interactive experiences within the Palace itself.
The Palace’s operations benefited from additional digital installations and government funding, allowing it to remain open daily and offer free entry. In the post-pandemic era, the prospect of free entry every day is an appealing selling point. However, it’s important to note that tourist segmentation has undergone significant changes since the pandemic. This necessitates a reevaluation of what attractions can offer, not only in terms of product diversity but also in terms of the quality of experiences they provide, including fostering personal attachment and emotional engagement.