Free Museum Entry
The discussion
Ahmed: Free entry to the national museums should stay, full stop. Since charges were scrapped, visits have more than doubled, and school groups from poorer districts come regularly because teachers don't have to collect money from parents.
Sofia: Doubled visits, yes, but who are they? The museum's own survey shows the biggest growth is in overseas tourists, who could easily pay, while the proportion of local low-income visitors has hardly shifted.
Bao: I'd rather look at what free entry has cost. The conservation budget has been frozen for six years and two galleries are closed for repairs, so free access to a half-closed building isn't much of a gift.
Ahmed: Bao, the galleries are closed because the government cut the grant, not because entry is free. Charging would just let them cut it further.
Sofia: Which is why I'd charge tourists only, as several European cities do with residents' cards. Locals and school groups stay free, and the overseas visitors fund the conservation work.
Bao: A residents' card scheme would address my point as long as the income is ring-fenced for the building rather than swallowed by general spending.
Ahmed: I still think a two-tier door feels unwelcoming, but if local free entry is guaranteed in law and the tourist income is ring-fenced, I can see the case. I'd want school groups free whatever country they come from, though.