Admission Fees for Non-Europeans Up 45%
Securing Funds for Cultural Heritage Restoration
"Shocking" and "Blatant Nationalism" Criticized
The French government is facing growing controversy over discrimination as it officially introduces a so-called "dual pricing system" that imposes higher admission fees on non-European tourists. Following the lead of the Louvre Museum in Paris, other major cultural heritage sites such as the Palace of Versailles and the Op?ra Garnier are also implementing differentiated pricing, drawing strong criticism both within France and abroad.
According to AFP on January 14 (local time), starting that day, the Louvre Museum began charging adult visitors from outside the European Union, Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway an admission fee of 32 euros (about 55,000 won), a 45% increase from the previous 22 euros. Non-European tourists, including Koreans, will have to pay an additional 17,000 won per person.
This measure is part of a differentiated pricing policy promoted by the French Ministry of Culture. In an interview with Le Figaro in January last year, Minister of Culture Rachida Dati stated, "We want non-European visitors to pay higher admission fees, and for this additional revenue to be used for the restoration of the national cultural heritage," adding, "There is no reason why only the French should bear all the costs." She described this as a "true transformation" of the pricing policy.
From the Louvre to Versailles... Expansion of the Dual Pricing System
Following the Ministry of Culture's directive, the system is rapidly spreading to other cultural sites. At the Palace of Versailles, non-European visitors are charged 35 euros during the peak season (April 1 to October 30) and 25 euros during the off-season, which is 3 euros more than the fee charged to Europeans in each case.
The Op?ra Garnier and Sainte-Chapelle in Paris, as well as Ch?teau de Chambord in the Loire Valley, have also introduced differentiated pricing based on visitors' origin. The French government expects this policy to generate an additional 20 to 30 million euros in annual revenue.
"A Return to Nationalism"... Backlash from Unions and Academia
However, there is strong opposition as well. The Louvre Museum labor union described the policy as "shocking on philosophical, social, and humanitarian grounds," and even raised the possibility of a strike. They argue that, since the museum's collection of over 500,000 artifacts-including those from Egypt, the Middle East, and Africa-holds universal value for humanity, price differentiation based on nationality is fundamentally discriminatory. The union also expressed concern about the practical burden on staff, who would have to check each visitor's identification.
Academics have also voiced concerns. French geographer Patrick Poncet wrote in a Le Monde op-ed that "demanding higher fees from foreigners runs counter to the universality of culture," and criticized the move as "a return to nationalism," similar to recent cases in the United States where national park admission fees for foreign tourists were raised.
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