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With attractions forced to close and the public ordered to stay at home, it might not be a surprise that ‘virtual museum tours’ experienced a huge surge in Google searches for 2020.
Lauren Heath-Jones | Planet Attractions | 16 Dec 2020
Amsterdam’s Rijksmuseum is one of the many museums offering virtual tours online Credit: Google
In a year where many were forced to stay at home, Google has revealed the search term ‘virtual museum tours’ was among the most popular of 2020.
Year in Search is an annual list of the most popular Google searches, offering wider insight into global trends at certain times of year.
Unsurprisingly, due to the ongoing impact of the pandemic, searches for virtual activities experienced a significant spike, with ‘virtual museum tour’ ranking second in the category, behind ‘virtual field trips’.
“Our appreciation for art and culture didn’t stop when the doors closed. Virtual museum was the top-trending virtual activity that we searched to experience,” said Google.
According to Google Trends, the term experienced a surge in search activity on March 14, peaking on March 17, as museums around the world were forced to close their doors.
The increased interest could be attributed to a number of factors, including; parents having to educate their children at home following school closures. Among the most searched terms through the year was ‘how to be a teacher’.
Museums have also played their part, with an influx of new digital experiences created to keep stuck-at-home visitors engaged.
2020 also saw a surge in searches for activities, such as ‘foster a dog’, ‘sourdough’, and ‘vegetable garden’.
Museums and galleries
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