number of tourists before and after the louvre renovation project?
does anyone know if the renovation of the louvre museum i.e. adding the glass pyramid has been a success in attracting more tourists? and are there more tourists visiting the louvre now or before the renovation?
In 2007, 8.3 million people visited the Louvre (5.7 million in 2002-2003, 7.5 million in 2005). I cannot find the exact figures for visitors before the renovations but they were undeniably much lower.
The renovations were made to accomodate the ever increasing number of visitors (not to attract more tourists) but the pyramid did have an attracting effect when it was inaugurated in 1989 and in the following years. From 1988 to 1996, there was a 70% increase of paying visitors, which means that the total number of visitors (including those with free access) almost doubled in those 7 years.
But the increasing number of people after that is not really linked to the pyramid, the number of museum visitors has generally increased throughout France because of several measures taken to encourage people to visit museums. Apart from a few bad years linked to the first Gulf war, islamic terrorism (1995-1996) – which still didn’t stop the overall 1988-1996 increase – and the post 9/11 months, on the whole, there has been a constant increase, even more so in the last few years.