Louvre, the most popular museum in the world, with the most famous works, will continue to limit daily attendance in an attempt to provide participants with “a comfortable visit and guarantee optimal working conditions for the museum team”, according to the statement. release released by the institution last week. Normally attracting up to 45,000 visitors a day before the global Covid-19 crisis, the Louvre has for several months limited the flow to 30,000 and plans to continue to do so.
“The extremely positive figures for 2022 are tremendously encouraging for all our employees,” said Louvre President Laurence des Cars. “I hope that visitors enjoy spending time at the Louvre Museum, especially those who are discovering the museum for the first time, who represent 60% of them. We are working harder and harder to improve conditions for visitors, to continue offering a high-quality program and a unique set of live performances in tune with what is happening at the museum.”
In 2019, the Louvre received around 10 million visitors and 7.8 million in 2022 with the end of travel restrictions due to the pandemic. There has been a problem for some time with the crowds of visitors flocking to its most famous attractions, including Leonardo's Mona Lisa. Opinions on the Louvre's attempt to combat overcrowding are divided.
“In an ideal world, it is not good to put limits on museum attendance, as going to a museum should feel spontaneous and natural and not require so much effort,” Guillaume Kentz, former curator of the Louvre who now directs the Hispanic Society of New York Museum and Library, told the New York Times. “Adding one more barrier is not a good idea.”
Offering a contrary opinion, James Gardner, author of "The Louvre: The Many Lives of the World's Most Famous Museum." “Limiting numbers will improve the experience of visiting the Louvre,” he said, describing the congestion on the walkway leading to the Mona Lisa as “unbearable.”
The move to limit attendance is reminiscent of Venice's effort last summer to charge an entrance fee to day-trippers as the historic city grapples with overtourism.