The Alicante Provincial Archaeological Museum, known as Marq, closed the year 2023 with registration numbers that set a new milestone in its long-running story of public engagement. Visitor data released by the Provincial Council, the body that owns the venue, show a total of 300,271 visits throughout the year. This figure stands as the highest annual attendance in the museum’s modern history and underscores the sustained appeal of Marq’s programming. The institution’s leadership, led by President Toni Pérez, described the year as extraordinary, emphasizing that the success reflects the hard work and commitment of every staff member. He noted that the museum managed to present another year of a broad, attractive, and first-class cultural offering that resonated with diverse audiences and communities (Provincial Council).
Among the highlights was the international temporary exhibition Legacy of the Qin and Han Dynasties, China. Terracotta Warriors of Xi’an, which became a central focal point of 2023. Since its opening in March, the show drew an astonishing 245,306 visitors, making it the most-visited temporary exhibition in Marq’s history. This extraordinary turnout came alongside a rich and varied slate of programming that extended well beyond the four walls of the museum. The cultural calendar included vibrant programming at nearby monuments and archaeological sites, as well as family-friendly activities, lectures, dramatized tours, and guided explorations. These complementary activities helped enrich the visitor experience and broaden the audience for the exhibition, reinforcing Marq’s role as a cultural gateway for both locals and visitors (Provincial Council).
In discussing these outcomes, the Provincial Assembly President highlighted that Marq’s impact should not be measured solely by visitor counts. The museum acts as a cultural revitalizer for the city, a hub that stimulates curiosity, learning, and community life across multiple generations. He expressed satisfaction at the broad public response and reiterated the institution’s commitment to accessibility, education, and high-quality programming. Looking at the calendar, the summer months of August and July, as well as November, December, and June, stood out as peak periods, with more than 25,000 attendees on several of these occasions. The president also hinted at a promising January, aligned with the conclusion of the Xi’an exhibition, which is scheduled to close on the final Sunday of the month, the 28th (Provincial Council).
Beyond the main building, the Marq network encompasses a number of outposts and archaeological sites that also attracted significant audiences throughout 2023. La Illeta dels Banyets in El Campello welcomed 16,549 visitors, while Tossal de Manises in Alicante hosted 10,422. Other historically important locations — Almudaina Tower, Pla de Petracos in Castell de Castells, and Cova de l’Or in Beniarrés — reported 1,604; 843; and 727 visitors respectively, illustrating how the Marq initiative extends its reach beyond the central museum to a wider regional audience. These figures reflect a deliberate strategy of distributing cultural experiences across the broader landscape, creating opportunities for schools, families, and lifelong learners to engage with archaeology, history, and heritage in settings that feel immediate and relevant (Provincial Council).
Pérez also observes that when the data from the traveling exhibitions are added to the core visitor numbers, the aggregate reach surpasses half a million visitors. This broader impact underscores Marq’s role in disseminating cultural research to both state and national audiences. He points to recent traveling displays, including the newly opened Idols: Millennium View, which has been on display at the Huelva Museum, as examples of how the institution’s research and curatorial work travels beyond its home base to engage wider audiences and reinforce public interest in archaeology and ancient civilizations (Provincial Council).