Minister Rachida Dati, has floated a proposal to introduce higher ticket prices for non-EU citizens visiting the Louvre, as well as charging entry fees to Notre Dame Cathedral. These measures, she suggests, would help generate much-needed funds to preserve France’s vast cultural heritage.
While the Ministry of Culture has been spared from the budget cuts outlined in Prime Minister Michel Barnier’s sweeping austerity plan, Dati explained in an interview with Le Figaro that more funding is essential to drive innovation and support the conservation of the nation’s monuments.
Her suggestion that non-EU visitors should pay more for entry to the Louvre is framed as a practical solution to fund the renovation of other French landmarks. Additionally, she proposes a symbolic fee for tourists visiting Notre Dame Cathedral, with the funds earmarked for a larger initiative aimed at preserving religious heritage across the country.
“With just 5 euros per visitor, we could raise 75 million euros annually,” Dati pointed out, adding that Notre Dame could help “save all the churches in Paris and France.”
The reopening of Notre Dame, which has been closed to the public since the devastating fire in 2019, is scheduled for 8 December.
