Interpretation Interrupted: Effects of COVID-19 Mitigation Efforts on Visitor Perceptions of Interpersonal Programs

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic and resulting disease spread mitigation protocols afforded a unique opportunity (i.e., a “natural experiment”) to study the impact of the interruption of in-person interpretation on the visitor experience. Using data collected for a previously scheduled visitor use study at Waco Mammoth National Monument during 2021–2022, we investigated how the interruption in some interpersonal interpretive services impacted visitors’ perception of the quality of interpretation and the resulting overall visitor satisfaction levels. Results indicated that while some interpretation quality indicators were negatively affected by the interruption of some interpretation programs, overall visit satisfaction was not. The data also indicated that the interruption in interpretation was associated with a change in visitors’ activity preferences during future visits to the monument. The findings reinforce the importance of in-person interpretation and provide insight into how managers can approach the next event that impacts how interpretive services are delivered.