Experiential travel is a form of tourism in which people focus on experiencing a country, city or particular place by connecting to its history, people and culture. The Curaçao Tourist Board (CTB) is the official government entity that promotes foreign visits, tourism, for the island of Curaçao and is responsible for “the brand” Curaçao. This graduation project aims to contribute to CTB’s goal of focusing more on Experiential Travel awareness. As a designer of experiences, I will first research how the Cultural Historical museums currently hold up to that goal of creating authentic experiences. My goal, then, is to design meaningful interactions between the visitors and the island’s culture that will lead to the intended authentic experience. AnalysisMuseumsAfter visiting 15 museums, a selection was made of the 5 museums to focus on for this project. This selection was based on their potential for experiential travel, and their availability for this project. By conducting interviews with the museums staff, experts and visitors, and by observations of the staff and visitors the research goals were reached. The result is an overview of all museums, their challenges and their potential. The main challenges of these museums is a lack of resources, both financial and human. VisitorsMany useful visitor insights were collected, and these were used as a base for creating 5 personas. These personas represent different types of tourists; repeat visitors, first time day tourists, both young and old, cultural tourists and the locals, as these are also a significant group of museum visitors.  Cultural ElementsThe relevant Cultural Elements have been identified, and can be divided into 6 main categories and 8 subcategories. For this project mainly the social and cultural elements will be considered to share with the tourists, which include: Language, Religion (Spirituality), Traditions (Cultural Ecology, Food, Music & Dance), Community Life (Pop Culture, Social Behaviour, Ethnicity) Local art (Architecture) and finally History to bring it all together. As all museums have their specialization, and these elements are be a fair way to categorize the museums. Sharing the cultural elements will be the focus of the design.These insights will together facilitate idea generation. An interaction vision and a design vision were the main inspiration during the ideation phase. Brainstorming and brain writing were used as the main methods. The result is an overview of ideas that were based on the analysis, and a few scenarios.DesignTo develop a concept some basic requirements were decided on, and a main scenario was developed based on the scenarios in the ideation phase. The Curaçao Museum ExperienceThe Curaçao Museum Experience is a multi layered concept that includes both a service, and a product which together will enhance the visitors’ experience. This service has been designed as a base for every museum, with the requirement of some minor customizations per museum. The product is a part of this service to enhance the visitors’ experience. The design will extend the museum experience beyond the actual visit, to start before and go on after the visit. Visitors will get to know Curaçao through the cultural elements, and can identify these inside a museum, and between museums. The main goal is to connect museums and their collection to the cultural elements of Curaçao so the visitors know what these cultural elements are, and what the museum has to offer in each category. The product will add to the current experience, by allowing the visitor to choose their museum experience more consciously. It is also a way to bring the museums of Curaçao together.The product is the physical manifestation of the idea, and serves as a medium for richer experiences. It will improve the visitor experience, and elevate all museums to the same basic level. Involving visitors in the creation of their journey, relating the themes to their own interests and connecting cultural elements. How it worksWhen preparing for a visit, the visitor can find information about the museums in the brochure, which can be found at several locations, such as the information booth in the city, hotel lobbies and the museums. On the way to the museum the visitor will find visual cues that announce the arrival to the museum. When they arrive at the museum and when paying for a ticket the visitor could take a look at the wooden panel, as the staff member will point it out to them while sharing the usual information and code of conduct. The visitor can take the cultural element cards with them inside the museum. While walking around in the museum they will encounter items with cultural element marker stickers that have the same themes as on their cards. This way some parts of the collection can be highlighted. The information on the cards should be relevant to the collection. After the visit, there is the possibility to reflect/give feedback on the reflection sheet, which replaces the customary guest book. EvaluationThe design was tested in a simulated context as the museum are not in the same country as the test was being conducted in. The parts that were the easiest to simulate have been tested.The final design triggers excitement, especially the brochure and the cultural element panel. Instructions are a good trigger for the shyer visitors, but absolutely not necessary. The visitors are able to figure it out, but not because of the instructions.There isn’t enough time to see every aspect of every part, but because of repetition of the colors, logos and information, the message is still conveyed in other phases of the visit. The categories and colors are easily recognized through all phases if they have been seen before. The information in the form of a trivia, as it is now, is seen as being sufficient; visitors don’t mind looking up the information themselves.