The Louvre Museum finds attendance close to that observed before the health crisis

Visitors are once again flocking to the rooms of the largest museum in the world. With 8.9 million visitors in 2023, the Louvre Museum has regained attendance close to its 2019 level, before the health crisis, but remains deprived of its Asian visitors, it announced this Wednesday. “This attendance, up 14% compared to 2022 (7.8 million visitors), is close to the pre-pandemic level” of 2019 (9.6 million visitors), said the museum.

The largest museum in the world, however, says it is “less counting on attendance records as in the past – in 2018 it welcomed 10.2 million visitors – having decided to maintain a daily gauge of 30,000 visitors” in order to ensure “ better reception and visiting conditions” for the public. “This daily gauge will be maintained during the Olympic Games (July 26-August 11)” despite the expected influx of visitors from around the world, the museum said.

Prices that will increase during the Olympics

In 2023, the Louvre welcomed 32% French visitors including 62% from Ile-de-France residents and 68% foreign visitors including 13% Americans and a number of Europeans from border countries (7% Italy, 5% United Kingdom and Germany, 4% Spain). In detail, 60% of visitors came to the Louvre for the first time in 2023 and 43% were under 26 years old while 40% benefited from the museum being free, which will increase its prices, with a ticket at 22 euros from January 15.

To improve public reception, the Louvre remained open until 8:00 p.m. during the end-of-year holidays. It plans to institute, in addition to its expanded cultural program – integrating dance, theater or cinema – a second “night” visit from April every Wednesday in addition to that on Friday.

Among the major projects of its president and director, Laurence des Cars, is also, in the longer term, the opening of a second entrance to the museum in order to “decongest” the main entrance located under the large glass pyramid. This was originally designed to accommodate “four to five million visitors per year”, according to the Louvre.