Paris’ Louvre museum to increase ticket price for visitors from outside the EU

By SYLVIE CORBET Associated Press PARIS AP Paris Louvre museum has approved a ticket hike from to euros to for non-European visitors from January to help finance an overhaul of the building whose degradation has been exposed by the Oct crown jewels heist Related Articles The present day in History November Boston nightclub fire kills people Hong Kong high-rise fire update death toll arrests suspected cause French president unveils new military plan for contributors aged and The present day in History November Harvey Milk and George Moscone fatally shot MMA fighter arrested on plane after allegedly attacking police officers The measure comes as other major cultural sites across the country including the Palace of Versailles are considering similar moves to bring extra money needed for costly maintenance and renovation The Louvre ticketing changes come as part of a decade-long plan to modernize the museum Measure breaches that allowed the million-euro million theft highlighted the urgency of the situation On Friday a suspect in the Louvre robbery was handed preliminary charges of theft by an organized gang and criminal conspiracy the Paris prosecutor mentioned Friday meaning all four alleged members of the crew caught on camera stealing the jewels are in custody From Jan nationals from outside the European Union will have to pay euros more The measure was approved Thursday by the Louvre governing board Nationals from Iceland Liechtenstein and Norway countries that signed up to the European Economic Area agreement will be exempted from the hike The courtyard and the pyramid of Le Louvre museum are seen Wednesday Nov in Paris AP Photo Christophe Ena The Louvre welcomes a large number of international visitors In the Louvre welcomed millions visitors of them foreigners Top nationalities include people from the U S China and Britain who will be affected by the price hikes Earlier this month Louvre director Laurence des Cars publicized more than emergency measures have started being implemented following the robbery She revealed the Louvre s latest overhaul in the s is now technically obsolete The cost for the so-called Louvre New Renaissance plan is estimated at up to million euros million to modernize infrastructure ease crowding and give the famed Mona Lisa a dedicated gallery by Specific have argued that such a program could be counterproductive if it leads to a fall in the number of visitors But other institutions see it as a anticipated key The director of the Chateau de Chambord one of the largest part striking chateaus in the Loire Valley revealed more money is needed to finance heavy renovation work at his institution The Chateau de Chambord decided to apply in January a -euro increase bringing the ticket to euros for non-EU residents who represent about of visitors director Pierre Dubreuil described local radio Ici Orl ans Money will help finance urgent work to save the crumbling th century royal wing of Fran ois I from collapsing with an estimated cost of million euros million Australians people from New Zealand Americans when they come to see Chambord sometimes that s once in a lifetime Dubreuil explained Paying or euros doesn t change anything The new approach championed by conservative Civilization Minister Rachida Dati could be extended to other major cultural sites across France The Palace of Versailles is considering a -euro hike for non-EU visitors A woman draws in the Richelieu gallery of Le Louvre museum are seen Wednesday Nov in Paris AP Photo Christophe Ena Charging foreigners more in the U S and Africa Extra fees for international visitors are not unique in plenty of countries across the world often driven by the need to increase revenue to match the costs of maintaining heritage sites In the United States the National Park Organization declared this week it is going to start charging the millions of international tourists who visit U S parks each year an extra to enter selected of the the greater part popular sites like Yellowstone and Grand Canyon The announcement declaring America-first entry fee policies comes as national parks deal with the strain of a major staff reduction and severe budget cuts along with recovering from damage during the up-to-date establishment shutdown and substantial lost revenue due to fees not being collected during that time The idea of higher prices for tourists has been debated but not implemented in Britain where admission to the permanent collections of major museums and galleries is free In its budget this week the U K administration broadcasted that British cities would be able to levy a tourist tax on overnight visitors similar to fees in cities including Paris and New York The money would help fund services and infrastructure in the cities Charging foreign visitors to major attractions in Africa more than local or regional visitors is common practice across the continent Whether it s a hike to see gorillas or a Big safari international visitors to match parks and museums can expect to pay at least four or five times more than residents The revenue collected is credited with helping both the local economies and the protection of wildlife Kruger National park in South Africa charges foreigners a day but South African residents Masai Mara Kenya charges foreigners day but Kenya residents AP journalists Andrew Drake and Jill Lawless in London contributed to the story