It was the exception and it may soon become the rule. Free access in the municipal museums of Reims experienced since the beginning of the year ends this Friday March 31 after three months of implementation. This type of operation had already launched, but on an exceptional basis in 2020 and 2021 at the end of the confinements. The idea today is to boost attendance at a time when tourists are deserting the city of coronations.
And, after three months of testing, from January to March, the experiment was a success with attendance tripled. “It is downright phenomenal, rejoices Pascal Labelle, deputy mayor responsible for culture. I was not excpecting that at all ! When we look at the figures, the most spectacular increase concerns the Vergeur Museum, we go from 446 visitors (January 2019) to 1804 visitors in January 2023. »
Towards free permanent collections?
The Saint-Remi museum, the Fort de la Pompelle and the museum of the Surrender are also concerned by this low season system. From January to March, nearly 30,000 visitors will have visited the four Reims museums. At the same time, only 8,800 visitors were counted in 2019.
“In the coming months, we will assess the impact of this free service. If the Rémois appreciated the collections of our museums, we imagine that they will return with their families and will become ambassadors of choice”, anticipates Pascal Labelle. One thing is certain: free admission will be renewed, during the low period, from January to March 2024. But other avenues are being considered, such as that of free admission to permanent exhibitions in the City’s museums.
