Paris is gradually recovering what gives it its charm. After the restaurants have reopened, cultural venues are also resuming their rights. From Monday, the Louvre Museum, the largest and most visited in the world, will reopen its doors, with all possible precautions and without the many American and Asian tourists, generally numerous in this season.
The coronavirus crisis has already caused "more than 40 million euros in losses" at the Louvre, announced its president and director Jean-Luc Martinez, who expects three financially difficult years and advocates a revival by "cultural democratization »Aimed at young people and more modest audiences, in the Paris region in particular.
70% of the public establishment, or 45,000 m2, will be accessible. The busy areas, as well as Antiquities, especially Egyptian, will be open to the public in particular. Places that are more complex to manage will remain closed for the time being.
Signposted routes and masked visitors
“We are losing 80% of our audience. 75% of our visitors are of foreign origin. We are going to have at best 20-30% of our audience in the summer of 2019, between 4,000 and 10,000 visitors per day maximum "this summer, Jean-Luc Martinez had evaluated in a press briefing last week. No more question, like some days last summer, of having to refuse people.
Time-stamped reservations have been open since June 15 on the Internet and remain the preferred route to access the Louvre, but it will be possible to try your luck by coming on site if there are free slots available. As of June 24, the last figure provided was 12,000 reservations, mainly in July.
Visitors will have to bring their masks, will not have changing rooms or refreshments, and the routes will be signposted with no backtracking possible, and all outings will be final. In front of the Mona Lisa, where tourists from all over the world flock to make selfies, parking circles were stuck on the ground to avoid the rush. To bring up the curves of affluence, free "mini-discovery" visits without reservation will be set up as well as guided tours for young people.
Goal Olympics
The more than three months of closure were an opportunity for the communication teams to develop the online virtual museum, with many films, podcasts, games, which were widely consulted. With the hope that this online attendance will encourage the general public, especially young people, to move around the rooms, taking advantage of the relative tranquility favorable to contemplation.
The museum is working with the Ministry of Culture on a "transformation plan," said the president and director, without further details. “We have to be there in 2023-2024 and prepare for the Olympic Games. Opening more hours, more rooms is the challenge of 2024, ”he said.
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