Louvre to Raise Ticket Prices for Non-EU Tourists by 45%

The Louvre will sharply increase entry fees for most non-European Union (EU) visitors next year as part of a sweeping overhaul of the world’s busiest museum.

From 14 January next year, tourists from countries outside the European Economic Area (member countries include all EU countries as well as Norway, Iceland, and Lichtenstein) pay €32 (about R640) to enter, a 45% rise approved by the museum’s board on Thursday.

The Louvre in Paris is one of the world’s most well-known museums, and includes art pieces such as Leonardo da Vinci’s famous Mona Lisa.

The new pricing structure is expected to generate millions of euros annually, money the French institution says is urgently needed to upgrade security and modernise ageing infrastructure. Pressure to act intensified after an October heist in which a four-person gang stole jewellery worth over R1.7 billion and escaped within minutes.

An official audit released shortly afterwards criticised outdated surveillance systems and under-investment in maintenance.

The Louvre welcomed nearly 9 million visitors last year, with more than a tenth coming from the United States and around 6% from China. But the strain of 30 000 daily visitors has long fuelled complaints of overcrowding, especially in the gallery where the Mona Lisa hangs. French President Emmanuel Macron has backed plans to relocate the painting to ease the crush of tourists who currently get only a few seconds of viewing time.

Alongside the fee hike, the museum will renovate major galleries, upgrade facilities, and add new amenities such as toilets and restaurants, which is expected to cost several hundred million euros. Earlier this month officials closed a gallery of Greek ceramics over structural concerns, underscoring the scale of the work ahead. The Louvre has been criticised for spending more on acquiring art than on restoring and securing its vast collection, a gap the new measures aim to close.