Laurence des Cars, the museum’s director, has issued warnings regarding the building’s condition. She stated, “Some areas are no longer watertight, while others experience significant temperature variations, endangering the preservation of artworks,” emphasising the urgent need for technical upgrades (France24, 2025). This statement reflects mounting concerns about the Louvre’s ability to maintain its historical integrity amidst unprecedented visitor numbers.
Visitor feedback further illustrates the impact of overcrowding. Myriam, a 65-year-old visitor from Belgium, remarked, “I think the Louvre is a victim of its own success. We won’t come again,” capturing the frustration felt by many who find the experience overly taxing despite holding time-slot tickets (The Guardian, 2025). Such responses point to the extensive waiting times and confusing circulation patterns that have become common complaints.
In response to these challenges, measures have been implemented, including capping daily attendance at 30,000 visitors and extending opening hours. Plans to create an additional entrance aim to ease congestion by redistributing visitor flow across the expansive museum. However, the projected overhaul is expected to be both costly and technically complex, further straining government budgets already under pressure.
UK Museums Struggling
Contrasting this scenario, recent data from UK institutions presents a markedly different situation. While the Louvre struggles with over-attendance, leading UK museums have recorded significant declines in visitor numbers. For example, the National Gallery in London attracted only 3.1 million visitors in 2023—a reduction of 48% from its 6 million visitors in 2019 (The Art Newspaper, 2024). Similarly, institutions such as Tate Britain and Tate Liverpool have experienced drops of approximately 40%. On average, the top ten museums in the UK reported a 13% decrease compared with pre-pandemic figures.
A spokesperson from the National Gallery, London, commented on the situation: “Our planning for this period acknowledged what would inevitably be a smaller capacity for the gallery, which is why our efforts have been focused on reaching beyond the gallery walls with the international and national touring programmes, and ensuring as many people can access and enjoy the collection and its stories digitally” (The Art Newspaper, 2024). Although this statement does not include a personal name, it underlines the strategic adjustments being made to compensate for the reduced physical attendance – a sharp contrast to the operational burdens currently facing the Louvre.
References
France24 (2025) ‘Saturation point’: Louvre boss says leaky, crowded museum needs upgrade. Available at: https://www.france24.com/en/tag/louvre/ (Accessed: 1 April 2025).
The Guardian (2025) ‘We won’t come again’: dazed visitors fed up with overcrowded Louvre, The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/jan/23/louvre-museum-leaky-damaged-overcrowded (Accessed: 1 April 2025).
The Art Newspaper (2025) How many visitors is too many? Paris museums confront ‘over-attendance’. (Accessed: 1 April 2025).
The Art Newspaper (2024) The 100 most popular art museums in the world—blockbusters, bots and bounce-backs. (Accessed: 1 April 2025).
