Photo – courtesy of Frédéric Berthet ©
Museums have the remarkable ability to suspend time, transporting visitors through history from the lives of prehistoric ancestors to the innovative visions of contemporary artists and beyond.
While iconic museums like the Louvre, the Palace Museum, and the Museum of Modern Art continue to captivate global travellers, on this International Museum Day, Trip —a leading travel service provider—reveals some of the prevailing trends shaping museums worldwide.
Emerging Museum Trends: Innovative Installations and Technological Integration
Museums are increasingly incorporating innovative installations and technology into their exhibitions to enhance the visitor experience and merge past and future seamlessly.
The Guardians of Time exhibition at the Guimet Museum in Paris, sponsored by Trip.com, showcases monumental installations that offer a fresh perspective on Chinese culture and mythology through a blend of art and technology. Running from April 2024 to February 2025, the exhibit by Chinese artist Jiang Qiong Er transforms several iconic spaces within the museum, including its façade and ancient Asian art collections, into a captivating journey and visionary exploration of time.
Coinciding with the China-France Year of Cultural Tourism and the upcoming Summer Olympics in Paris, the exhibition promises a unique opportunity for global tourists to immerse themselves in the resonance and convergence of diverse cultures.
The museum’s façade is transformed into a contemporary reinterpretation of Chinese grottoes, featuring the installation Origin. Twelve mythical creatures, conceptualized with the assistance of artificial intelligence, stand sentinel on windows and atop the main entrance, each celebrating the Year of the Dragon and embodying core philosophical and humanistic values such as peace, inclusivity, and environmental stewardship.
In the Her Voice – Bravery installation, a massive net hangs suspended above the museum’s rooftop, adorned with stories collected from 60 diasporic Chinese women. These stories are embroidered using a new “women’s script,” inspired by nv shu, a now-extinct secret female script developed over 3,000 years ago in Hunan, China. Through poetic narratives, these women share their life experiences, aspirations, struggles, and courage.
Photo – courtesy of Frédéric Berthet ©
Digital advancements further enable museums worldwide to reach broader audiences. Traditional museums are rejuvenated with virtual and augmented reality experiences, digital access, and streamlined booking procedures.
As one of China’s top attractions for international travellers, the Emperor Qinshihuang’s Mausoleum Site Museum in Xi’an offers a VR film to enhance the visitor experience. With a VR headset and a 360° rotating chair, visitors can witness the terracotta warriors spring to life and partake in their legendary conquest to establish ancient China’s first centralized dynasty.
Recently, the museum collaborated with Trip.com to launch an integrated overseas service platform, enabling visitors to access a digital museum preview before their trip and providing convenient online booking and payment options for inbound travellers.
Trip.com utilizes its global user network and robust product capacity to create new opportunities for museum partners worldwide, fostering engagement and welcoming knowledge seekers from near and far as museums embrace the future.
Photo – courtesy of National Museum of Singapore ©
Photo – courtesy of National Museum of Singapore ©
Museums of Tomorrow: Reflecting on the Past for a Sustainable Future
Amid pressing environmental challenges, museums are employing immersive exhibits, interactive displays, and cutting-edge installations to spark conversations about humanity’s relationship with the natural world.
From January 27 to June 23, the National Museum of Singapore presents a special exhibition titled “Plastic: Remaking Our World,” charting the material’s rapid ascent in the 20th century, its environmental impact, and innovative solutions for sustainable plastic usage. An immersive film installation juxtaposes the long-term formation of oil with the rapid proliferation of plastic waste, while an interactive space recreates a household filled with objects, highlighting the pervasive presence of plastics in daily life.
Additionally, the museum’s permanent exhibition “Story of the Forest” offers visitors a virtual journey through Singaporean history via a stunning 3D display crafted by the renowned Japanese digital art collective teamLab. Inspired by the museum’s esteemed William Farquhar Collection of Natural History Drawings, the exhibition invites visitors to interact with animated wildlife from the Malay Peninsula in the nineteenth century.
With its expanding array of tour and ticket offerings worldwide, Trip is committed to connecting travellers with captivating exhibitions, engaging programs, and opportunities to explore the world’s cultural heritage. Whether delving into ancient civilizations, marvelling at masterpieces, or embracing new perspectives, Trip collaborates closely with museum partners globally to extend their reach and preserve memories for generations to come.
