Louvre Museum Shuts Down in Protest Against Overtourism

The Louvre is tired, and so are the people who run it.

Fez– The Louvre didn’t close its doors yesterday because of war, a strike, or a bomb threat. It shut down because the people inside, those tasked with preserving one of the world’s greatest collections of art, have had enough.

Not of art, but of the overwhelming wave of tourists flooding its galleries every single day.

The most visited museum in the world, home to the Mona Lisa and some 35,000 other works of genius, was left paralyzed, not by outside forces, but by its own popularity.

According to La Repubblica, it’s not just the paintings that are under pressure. It’s the staff, the system, the structure. And they’re beginning to collapse.

Kevin Ward, a 62-year-old staff member, summed it up with both frustration and poetic irony: “It’s the Mona Lisa’s lament here. Thousands are waiting, no communication, no explanation. I think even she needs a day off.”

Ward isn’t exaggerating. In recent years, the Louvre has become a global symbol of overtourism, where crowds aren’t simply inconvenient, they’re existentially threatening to the institution.

From Venice’s fragile canals to the crumbling stones of the Acropolis, major cultural sites are struggling to cope. The Louvre, the crown jewel of them all, is reaching its tipping point.

In response, the museum is introducing a sharp ticket price hike for non-EU visitors starting January 1, 2026.

Entry will rise from €22 to €30 (around $35). The new pricing will apply to all visitors from outside the European Union, including neighbors like the UK, Norway, and Switzerland.

EU citizens, however, won’t be affected. Thanks to EU regulations on equal access to public museums, they’ll continue paying the standard rate.

But for millions of other travelers, especially those arriving during high season, the Louvre just got more expensive, and the experience more uncertain.

This move is more than just about money. It’s a signal. France, like other tourism-heavy countries, is rethinking how to manage cultural access in an age of global mobility and post-pandemic travel rebounds.

It’s not alone. Last year, Mark Jones, former head of the British Museum and the Victoria and Albert Museum, suggested the UK adopt a similar model to generate extra income from the nearly 40 million foreign visitors it hosts annually.

The Louvre’s sudden closure is a reminder that culture, no matter how ancient or revered, still needs care, and boundaries.

When the people who keep the art alive are overwhelmed, maybe it’s time we all pause and ask: who is tourism serving, and what is it costing?