Marie Gicquel 08:02, January 09, 2024

Record attendance at Orsay, figures close to pre-Covid levels for the Louvre... French museums have multiplied their visitor records in 2023, thanks to young Ile-de-France residents and tourists between 11 and 25 years old, attracted via social networks.

A technique that works. Representing the second most represented age group for Parisian monuments, 11-25 year olds were numerous in 2023 to rush to museums. Thanks to social networks and influencers in particular, large institutions have been able to adapt to attract more and more audiences.

And for good reason, in 2023 the Louvre recorded 8.9 million visitors, 3.9 million for the Musée d'Orsay and 635,000 for the Palais de la Porte Dorée. These records are close to pre-Covid levels, which can be explained in particular by an increased appetite for culture and outings, following a long period of health restrictions. A sentiment well understood by museums, which have taken advantage of it to maximize their appeal.

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Effective communication tools

Good deals and latest exhibitions, all these videos circulate in a loop on social networks such as Instagram and TikTok. So many invitations to go to the museum for young people who are connected, like Adèle and Clara: "Sometimes I go on TikTok to see if there are things at home, but especially when I go up to Paris," said one of them. "The only negative point is that since TikTok is based on a principle of virality, often there were a lot of people in these places," the second said.

These networks are essential communication tools for museums, as Cécile Dumoulin, head of the public department at the Mucem in Marseille, confided. "We activated the TikTok account at the end of the lockdowns. Communities in 2023 have grown further. On Instagram we have +14%, on LinkedIn +20%," she said. These major institutions even invite cultural influencers like Amandine, 22, who has 14,000 followers on her social networks. "I think what people are looking for, especially young people, is something a little bit different, that shows another hidden side of museums," she said. On TikTok, for example, the hashtag "Expo2023Paris" has generated more than 230,000 views.