The Louvre, you know… But yes, the thing behind the Olympic cauldron, in front of which the marathon runners passed! In the middle of the Olympic fortnight, it would seem that some of the tourists have deserted the largest museum in the world to devote themselves to activities related to the Games. The cultural institution announced on Monday a 22% drop in its number of visitors between July 27 and August 11, the period of the Paris Olympic Games, compared to the same dates in 2023.
The same observation was made by the nearby Musée d’Orsay, which recorded a 29% drop over the period in question. Expected, this drop in attendance can be explained by the integration of the two establishments into the security perimeter set up by the authorities during the nine days preceding the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games, with restricted access to the banks of the Seine and the closure of certain metro stations, as well as bridges.
At the Château de Versailles, which announced a drop of almost 25% in its visitors during the Olympic fortnight, it was the holding of the equestrian and modern penthatlon events that weighed on the figures. “During the Olympic fortnight, the château welcomed 212,350 visitors (château, Trianon, Sculptures and Castings galleries, Jeu de Paume), or 25% fewer visitors, compared to the same period in 2023”, according to figures communicated to AFP. This figure, based on the period from July 29 to August 11, “excludes the gardens and their shows”.
The same observation as in London
Because in detail we see that attendance at the Louvre remained stable (-1%) from July 1 to 14 compared to 2023 (351,634 visitors), but that it decreased by 45% between July 15 and 26, with two days of closure and the cancellation of a night event.
While from July 27 to August 11, attendance resumed at the Louvre with 331,759 visitors, or 23,644 daily visitors, it remained 22% lower than that recorded over the same period in 2023. A gauge of 30,000 visitors per day has also been in place since 2022 to facilitate traffic.
As in London, which hosted the Games in 2012, tourists seem to have attended the sporting events as a priority, neglecting cultural activities, as the British capital experienced a postponement to the following fall. The Louvre is counting on its major fall exhibition on “Figures du Fou,” which will open on October 16, to win back the public, he said.
But not all cultural institutions have suffered as much as the Louvre. Usually less popular with tourists, the Monnaie de Paris, which strikes and exhibits the Olympic medals, said it had benefited from an “Olympic effect,” with an “average increase in attendance of 62%” during the two weeks of competition compared to the previous two weeks. The medal is for them. Of course.
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