Visitors carrying protecting face masks line as much as see Leonardo da Vinci’s portray La Gioconda (Mona Lisa), on the Louvre Museum in Paris, France, in July 2020. The museum reopened to the general public after a virtually four-month closure as a result of coronavirus pandemic. File Photo by Christophe Petit Tesson/EPA-EFE

The museum struggled for years to handle over-attendance and lengthy strains close to masterpieces such because the Mona Lisa earlier than the COVID-19 pandemic affected visiting the museum. Now, the numbers are beginning to return to their pre-pandemic ranges.

Around 7.8 million individuals visited the Louvre in 2022, a rise of greater than 170% in comparison with 2021 amid the COVID-19 pandemic. That quantity is down 19% from 2019, earlier than the pandemic started, as the primary a part of the 12 months was nonetheless impacted by journey limitations.

Still, museum officers mentioned that the change is required “in order to facilitate a comfortable visit and ensure optimal working conditions for museum staff.”

“The extremely positive figures for 2022 are tremendously encouraging for all our staff. I hope that visitors enjoy spending time at the Musée du Louvre, particularly those discovering the museum for the first time, who represent 60% of them,” des Cars mentioned.

“We are working ever harder to improve visiting conditions and to continue to offer a program of great quality and a unique array of live performances resonating with what’s on at the museum.”

Data supplied by the Louvre reveals that round 70% of all visits to the museum had been made by international vacationers in 2022, with guests from the United States topping the checklist.