Louvre visitor numbers collapse 72% in 2020, losing €90 million

The Louvre Museum in Paris saw a catastrophic 72% drop in visitors in 2020, with only 2.7 million admissions compared to 9.6 million in 2019. The pandemic forced the museum to close for 161 days out of its usual 311 operating days, and international tourism vanished. In previous years, international visitors made up 75% of attendance, primarily from China, the United States, Japan, and Brazil. In 2020, French residents accounted for 84% of visitors. The museum lost over €90 million in revenue, receiving €46 million in state aid. The situation would have been worse without the blockbuster Leonardo da Vinci exhibition, which ran from 2019 until February 24, 2020, just before closures began. Other Parisian museums suffered similarly: the Musée d'Orsay saw a 76% decline and the Musée de l'Orangerie a 78% drop. Despite the crisis, the Louvre launched digital initiatives, gaining 1.02 million new followers (totaling 9.3 million) and receiving 21 million website visits. It also hosted a David Guetta streaming concert for fundraising and an auction with Christie's and Drouot to fund a new education department, offering experiences like a night visit with the director and attendance at the annual Mona Lisa health check. President and CEO Jean-Luc Martinez stated that state aid and a profound transformation are essential for the museum to welcome visitors again by 2024, the year of the Olympic Games.