Antoine Froidefond investigates the dilemmas facing the worlds most popular museums as visitor demand puts their physical infrastructures under increasing pressure.
Mass tourism spurred by cheap flights and richer emerging economies is forcing the world’s top museums to rethink their welcome, notably by boosting access, embracing apps and improving ancillary services such as eateries and gift shops.
The overhaul is dictated by the sheer numbers of visitors crowding galleries to catch a glimpse of the Mona Lisa, a Van Gogh canvas or a Michelangelo statue. Nearly 10 million people a year pass through the Louvre, 7 million visit the British Museum, and 6 million go to the Met in New York.
“The Louvre was conceived for 5 million people,” noted the president of the sprawling Paris museum, Jean-Luc Martinez. “For the past three years straight we’ve had more than 9 million.” He has launched a “Pyramid Project” for the Louvre that aims by mid-2016 to improve entry through redesigned ticket offices, lines and cloakrooms... Keep reading on The Daily Star
Mass tourism spurred by cheap flights and richer emerging economies is forcing the world’s top museums to rethink their welcome, notably by boosting access, embracing apps and improving ancillary services such as eateries and gift shops.
The overhaul is dictated by the sheer numbers of visitors crowding galleries to catch a glimpse of the Mona Lisa, a Van Gogh canvas or a Michelangelo statue. Nearly 10 million people a year pass through the Louvre, 7 million visit the British Museum, and 6 million go to the Met in New York.
“The Louvre was conceived for 5 million people,” noted the president of the sprawling Paris museum, Jean-Luc Martinez. “For the past three years straight we’ve had more than 9 million.” He has launched a “Pyramid Project” for the Louvre that aims by mid-2016 to improve entry through redesigned ticket offices, lines and cloakrooms... Keep reading on The Daily Star