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Louvre hikes ticket prices for most non-EU visitors by 45% month after jewel theft
A 2024 report published by the Louvre showed it received 8.7 million visitors that year, of which 69 percent were foreigners.
Paris's Louvre museum said Thursday it would raise ticket prices for most non-EU visitors, meaning US, British and Chinese tourists among others will have to pay $37 to get in.
The museum told AFP the 45-percent price hike aims to boost annual revenues by up to $23 million to fund structural improvements at the world's most-visited art museum, which is reeling from the daylight theft of priceless treasures last month.
From 2026, visitors from outside the European Union, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway will have to pay 32 euros -- an extra 10 euros -- from January 14, the museum and staff unions said after the measure was approved at a museum board meeting.
A 2024 report published by the Louvre showed it received 8.7 million visitors that year, of which 69 percent were foreigners.
Americans were the most numerous with Chinese visitors in third place, it said.
The museum told AFP that the price rise aimed to raise up to 20 million euros a year to tackle "structural problems".
On October 19, a four-person gang raided the Louvre, taking just seven minutes to steal jewellery worth an estimated $102 million before fleeing on scooters.
An official investigation indicated that security equipment was lacking, and the museum's management has warned about the state of its premises.
Labour unions criticised the decision to scrap the universal entry fee for all nationalities, with one, the CFDT, warning it would be perceived as "discrimination".
