The report published by the UK government this month reveals a worrying trend: attendance at national museums and galleries in the UK has fallen significantly since the start of the pandemic, even despite the lack of current restrictions.
This report focuses on data from a network of 15 museums, including institutions such as the British Museum, the National Portrait Gallery, the V&A and the Tate museums. During the first quarter of 2023, the number of visitors to these museums was more than a quarter lower than in a similar period before the pandemic. Between 2022 and 2023, there were a total of 35.1 million visits to state-supported museums and galleries in the agency’s network, representing 14 million fewer visitors compared to 2018 to 2019 figures.
Furthermore, the report shows a sharp decline in the influx of international visitors between 2022 and 2023. Compared to pre-pandemic figures recorded in 2019, attendance at DCMS-sponsored museums and galleries fell by a shocking 49.5 percent in 2023.
A decline was also seen in loans from UK cultural institutions to other museums in surrounding regions of the country. Institutions sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media, and Sport lent objects to more than 1,000 other UK cultural institutions, representing a decrease of 18 per cent compared to 2019.
The author of the report, statistician Fahim Ali, attributes these trends to the lingering effects of the pandemic, which have affected the ability of institutions to participate in projects both internationally and regionally. Despite these global trends, some UK institutions face challenges in attracting visitors.
For example, the National Gallery in London experienced the most significant drop in absolute visitor numbers, welcoming 3.1 million visitors in 2023, representing a 48 percent decline from 2019. However, other museums, such as the Tate Modern and the Victoria and Albert Museum, have shown a more modest recovery.
In contrast to the UK museum sector, international museum attendance figures have shown signs of recovery, with many major museums around the world reaching or exceeding their pre-pandemic levels. For example, the Musée d’Orsay in Paris reported a record number of visitors in 2023, with a 6 percent increase compared to 2019. The Louvre in Paris, which usually leads attendance figures, is also close to regaining its title as the most visited museum, with 8.9 million visitors and only 8 percent less than in 2019.
The Covid-19 pandemic caused museum visitor numbers to plummet around the world as institutions, like almost everything else in the world, closed their doors. The number of people visiting the 100 most visited museums fell from 230 million in 2019, the last full year before the pandemic, to just 54 million in 2020.
In short, although the pandemic has had a significant impact on attendance at UK museums and galleries, there are signs of recovery and resilience around the world, with many iconic museums on the brink of regaining their pre-pandemic glory.
