With the Covid crisis, Parisian museums have struggled in recent years to return to equivalent attendance levels. Fortunately, in 2022, they finally regained their lustre, with record attendances, which have risen again for this year 2023, and should improve again after the Paris 2024 Games, which expect millions of tourists in the capital.
In 2021, 2.2 million visitors came to discover Paris Musées' exhibitions, and 3 million a year on average, before the crisis. And that's not counting the figures for other major Parisian institutions, such as the Louvre, Orsay and the Musée du Quai Branly. According to Anne-Sophie de Gasquet, visitors from the Paris region and France accounted for 64% of the total. Since then, foreign tourists have returned, but those from Asia are still missing.
The Musée d'Orsay has beaten its record, with almost 3.9 million visitors in 2023 and exciting exhibitions all year round. The Louvre recorded 8.9 million visitors, 14% more than last year, while the Château de Versailleswelcomed 8.1 million, according to AFP.
For the first time, the Panthéon attracted more than a million visitors, an all-time record since the million mark had never been surpassed, as did the Palais de la Porte Dorée, which set an all-time attendance record since its construction 92 years ago. These figures augur well for the new year and culture in Paris!