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Hello, Curse and Coffee friends,
Today, we explore The Louvre’s new tourist tax.
Hit reply and let us know what you think (we read all of your kind words).
Coffee at the ready…
The Big Sip
The take: France just told non-European tourists they're worth more (and should pay like it).
What happened: The Louvre raised admission for non-EU visitors from €22 to €32 on 14 January. Versailles, the Paris Opera, and Sainte-Chapelle did the same.
Why it matters: Americans are the museum's largest foreign group. Seventy-seven percent of visitors came from outside France last year. The hike could bring up to €20 million a year.
What to watch: Summer booking numbers. Tour operators warn families may shorten or skip Paris stopovers.
The price hike funds an overhaul of up to €800 million called "Louvre — New Renaissance." If visitor numbers hold, expect other European institutions to copy.
Sponsor Break
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Here’s Your Brew
France needs cash to fix a crumbling palace.
The renovation covers 100 new cameras, climate control, and a dedicated Mona Lisa gallery by 2031.
Someone has to pay.
Unions say this guts the museum's universal mission. Culture Minister Rachida Dati says French taxpayers shouldn't subsidise tourists who earn more than they do.
Fair enough on both counts.
But neither argument comes with a line item that balances the books.
Two-tier pricing isn't new. Venice charges day-trippers €10. Kenya charges non-East Africans $90 for safari parks.
The Louvre's version is heritage funding dressed as cultural policy.
Your passport is now a price tag.
Two Sides, One Mug
Pro: Foreign visitors use infrastructure they don't fund through taxes, and the extra revenue goes straight to conservation.
Con: Museums exist to be universal. Charging by nationality turns art into a luxury good.
Our read: More money for repairs, less pretence of equal access. France picked the budget over the brochure.
Receipt of the Day
Des Cars' November Senate testimony (Euronews) — Only 39% of museum rooms had CCTV coverage. That number explains the €80 million security spend.
Spit Take
Eight minutes. Four thieves. €88 million. Zero recoveries.
Wikipedia
Your Coffee Break Links (and water cooler chatter)
Euronews: Two-tier pricing spreads — Versailles, Venice, Kenya. Here's where this is headed.
Artnet: The security overhaul — 100 new cameras by 2026, a new security coordinator, and the Regent diamond quietly moved to the Bank of France.
CBC: Canadian tourists react — "We're still going to go." That about sums it up.
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Mugshot Poll 📊
Should museums charge by passport?
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