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Ticket prices for the Louvre museum in Paris will rise by 45% for most non-European Union visitors, the museum’s board decided on Thursday.<\/p>\n
From early next year, tourists from countries like the US, UK and China will have to pay \u20ac32 ($37; \u00a328) to enter the museum, a price hike which is expected to raise millions of euros annually to fund an overhaul of the famous gallery.<\/p>\n
The museum’s security and management have faced criticism since a brazen heist in October<\/a>, when a four-person gang stole jewellery worth $102m (\u00a376m) and fled within minutes.<\/p>\n An official audit of the museum published shortly after the heist highlighted the institution’s inadequate security systems and ageing infrastructure.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n From 14 January, visitors from countries outside the European Economic Area – a group which includes EU member states, Iceland, Norway and Liechtenstein – will pay an extra \u20ac10 to enter the world’s most visited museum.<\/p>\n Non-EU visitors in groups with accredited guides will also have to pay \u20ac28 starting next year, the Louvre told the BBC.<\/p>\n The price hike is expected to raise between \u20ac15m and \u20ac20m each year to support the museum’s modernisation plans, it added.<\/p>\n The Louvre received nearly 9 million visitors last year, with the majority coming from abroad. More than a tenth of its visitors are from the US and around 6% from China, according to the museum.<\/p>\n There have been longstanding calls to address the museum’s capacity to accommodate crowds, with visitors often complaining of congested galleries and long queues.<\/p>\n In January, French President Emmanuel Macron and the Louvre announced improvements to the museum, and suggested higher fees for non-EU residents in 2026.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Macron also said the Mona Lisa<\/a> would be moved to a new space<\/a> to deal with overcrowding.<\/p>\n Most of the Louvre’s 30,000 daily visitors flock to see Leonardo da Vinci’s masterpiece. Crowds squeeze through the Salle des \u00c9tats – the gallery where the Mona Lisa is displayed – leaving each visitor only moments to view the painting and snap a photo.<\/p>\n The Louvre will also renovate other areas of the museum and add new amenities like toilets and restaurants – upgrades which are projected to cost several hundred million euros.<\/p>\n Earlier this month, the Louvre announced the closure of a gallery showcasing Greek ceramics due to structural concerns<\/a>.<\/p>\n The investigation after October’s heist found the museum had spent significantly more on buying new artworks, but far less on maintenance and restoration.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n