ABSTRACT
This chapter contains a detailed evaluation of the so-called ‘digital turn’ in response to the pandemic. It surveys literary heritage sites’ uses of virtual tours, online events, digitally based education programmes, and online forms of public engagement. It finds mixed evidence: while there was certainly a demonstrable turn towards the digital during the Covid-19 pandemic, its effectiveness, popularity, and profitability were sometimes limited. By contrast, there is clear and dramatic evidence of a highly popular and successful ‘outdoors turn’, and the chapter considers evidence of the importance of harnessing nature and outdoors spaces to connect audiences with literary heritage. An additional section discusses the turn from a reliance on long-distance visitors to a deeper and lasting engagement with local communities, and how this has the potential to enhance the stability and sustainability of literary heritage sites going forwards.
