A trip to the world’s most visited museum is about to cost Canadians a lot more.
France has increased Louvre ticket prices by 45 percent for visitors from outside the European Union, a move that is fueling debate over so-called dual pricing and a growing backlash against overtourism.
Starting this week, adult visitors from non-EU countries, including Canada, will have to pay 32 euros to enter the Paris monument, up from 22 euros. That’s an increase from about $35 to $52 Canadian.
Visitors from EU countries, as well as Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway, will continue to pay the lower rate.
The price increase comes as the Louvre faces repeated labor strikes, a notorious daylight jewelry robbery last October that led to a costly security overhaul and years of chronic overcrowding. The museum attracts approximately nine million visitors a year.
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Some Canadian tourists told Global News they feel unfairly targeted.
“We did not cause the robberies or some of the other problems that occurred and we are paying the consequences,” said Allison Moore, visiting Paris from Newfoundland with her daughter. “[In] “In Canada we don’t discriminate like that when it comes to prices.”
Others argue that tourists already bear higher costs simply for traveling long distances.
“In general, for tourists I think things should be a little cheaper than for local people, because we have to travel to come here,” said Darla Daniela Quiroz, another Canadian visitor. “It should be the same price or a little cheaper.”
Even some Europeans question the two-tier system. A French tourist interviewed outside the museum said there was “no reason” to charge non-Europeans more and that the rate should be the same for everyone.
Tourism experts say the Louvre’s financial pressures help explain the decision.
“The Louvre is cash-strapped right now and needs to do something,” said Marion Joppe, a professor at the University of Guelph. “You can’t really turn to the government, which is already struggling with its own budget.”
The move also reflects a broader global pushback against mass tourism. Anti-tourism protests have spread across parts of Spain, New Zealand has increased its entry tax and the United States recently increased national park fees for foreign visitors.
“For example, Paris receives about 50 million tourists a year,” said Julian Karaguesian, an economist at McGill University. “That’s about a million a week. The city just wasn’t built for those kinds of numbers.”
Despite the higher price, many visitors say they will continue to line up to see the Mona Lisa and the museum’s other famous works of art.
“It’s one of the top attractions. It’s on everyone’s list,” Moore said. “We’re still going to go and hopefully it will be worth it in the end.”
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