Louvre Mueseum to Increase Ticket Prices as Visitor Numbers Plummet by 22% During Paris Olympics
True enough, on its official website, it was stated that the Louvre was closed for two days, July 25 and 26, for the Games' opening ceremony. From there, a general decline in attendance throughout 2024 is expected.
So far, the museum has welcomed just over 5 million visitors this year, a 4% drop compared to the same period in 2023, which attracted 8.9 million visitors. It was the most visited museum in the world at the time.
Besides declining visitors, a 90% increase in operational expenses is a concern. This prompts Louvre Museum to raise its ticket prices. The cost of a basic ticket went up from $19 to $24.50, marking the first time the museum had increased prices since 2017.
While tourists came to see the Paris Olympics, the same cannot be said for the Louvre Museum. According to ART News, from July 27 to August 11, the number of people visiting the museum dropped by 22% compared to the same time last year.
On average, only 23,644 people visited the Louvre daily during this period, leading to a total weekly attendance of 331,759 people.
(Photo : OLYMPIA DE MAISMONT/AFP via Getty Images)
The drop in visitors to the Louvre Museum did not happen suddenly during the Paris Olympics. Artsy noted that between July 15 and July 26, the museum saw a much more significant decline in attendance between the days leading up to the Games, with only 166,604 people visiting. This was a significant 45% decrease compared to the same dates in 2023.
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Why Less People Visit the Louvre Museum
The decline was largely due to security measures put in place for the Olympic events, which likely made it harder for people to access the museum.
"The museum's attendance was strongly impacted by the integration of the museum into the security perimeter set up by the authorities, with restricted access to the Seine quays and the closure of most bridges and certain metro and RER stations," a spokesperson explained to Yahoo Finance.
(Photo : Adam Pretty/Getty Images)
True enough-on its official website, it was stated that the Louvre was closed for two days, July 25 and 26, for the Games' opening ceremony. From that, a general decline in attendance throughout 2024 is expected.
So far, the museum has welcomed just over 5 million visitors this year, which is a 4% drop compared to the same period in 2023, which attracted 8.9 million visitors. It was the most visited museum in the world at the time.
Besides declining visitors, a 90% increase in operational expenses is a concern. This prompts Louvre Museum to raise its ticket prices. The cost of a basic ticket went up from $19 to $24.50, marking the first time the museum had increased prices since 2017.
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