French Heritage Sites Had ‘Pre-Covid’ Level of Visitors With 46.8 M. in 2023: Report

A new study shows that attendance at French museums, monuments and other heritage sites have recovered to pre-pandemic levels with 46.8 million visitors in 2023.

According to the latest edition of the Patrimostat, the annual reference publication on attendance at heritage sites and establishments from the Department of Studies, Foresight, Statistics and Documentation (DEPS) of the Ministry of Culture, the total number of visitors at more than 1,450 museums and 46,000 monuments is 13 percent higher than 2022 and 7 percent higher than 2019.

Some institutions which experienced above-average increases in visitors for 2023 compared to the previous year included the Musée d’Orsay (18 percent), the Musée de l’Orangerie (22 percent), and the Musée du Quai Branly-Jacques Chirac (1.4 million tickets sold for an increase of 40 percent), as well as the national monuments Mont-Saint-Michel (23 percent) and the Conciergerie (41 percent).

Other institutions received much smaller increases or experienced declines. Versailles received 8.4 million visitors, a rise of 2 percent, but the Louvre had 8.8 million (decrease of 7 percent) and visitor numbers at the Centre Pompidou fell 20 percent to 2.6 million due to weeks of strike actions.

The report said that almost two-thirds (62 percent) of French citizens visited a cultural institution of some form at least once in 2023, compared to 63 percent in 2019. But while 59 percent went to a historical monument, only 34 percent visited a museum or temporary exhibition (down from 41 percent in 2019), and 13 percent of French citizens visited a fine arts museum.

Notably, the report said that more than six out of ten of French citizens said they had never visited a museum or exhibition of modern or contemporary art; a museum of architecture, design or decorative arts; or a museum dedicated to photography.

The report also cited the return of international tourists to 2019-levels, especially American visitors, and noted they were 81 percent of the attendance at the Palace of Versailles in 2023.  

There was also increases in the number of visitors 25 years of age and under to national museums (up 6 percent to 8 million compared to 2022) as well as national estates and monuments (up 8 percent to 3.3 million compared to the previous year).

While heritage sites and museums in France receive large public subsidies, the report said that the majority of visitors (54 percent) paid an entrance fee of more than €10, up from 44 percent in 2019. Of those respondents, half paid €11 to €15 and the other half paid €16 or more. And with the current concerns over inflation and rising consumer prices, the majority (54 percent) of French citizens who were asked about budget priorities for culture said they would prefer going to the movies, compared to 36 percent for museums, exhibitions, or monuments.

It will be interesting to note next year’s numbers after the 2024 Summer Olympic Games severely hurt attendance at the Louvre, forced other galleries to close, and hurt attendance at other several institutions in and around Paris. Local residents left town due to the international event’s heavy military and police presence. Despite the influx of athletes—as well as their families, friends, and celebrity spectators—tourists also avoided the area, resulting in a 15 percent decline for foreign visitors for the month of July.