After the state museums introduced entrance fees at the turn of the year, many have seen a large drop in visitors, shows a survey commissioned by TV4 Nyheterna.
In total, the eight largest state museums have lost around half a million visitors this year.
Despite that, several regional museums in Gothenburg will now follow the same path and introduce a fee.
From January 15, an entrance fee will be introduced at five museums in Västra Götaland. This despite a drop in visitors when Stockholm’s state museums started charging about a year ago.
– That is the risk, but we have to in view of the current economic situation, says the chairman of the board for cultural development in the VG region, Jan Axelsson.
It is the administration for cultural development in the Västra Götaland region that runs Gothenburg’s natural history museum, Forsviks bruk, Vitlycke museum, Vänersborgs museum and Lödöse museum.
The five museums which until now have been free, but which from January 15 will cost SEK 70 in entrance fee for visitors who are 20 years of age or older.
The economy has gotten worse
As the economy has weakened and inflation has risen, the financial space for the museums’ operations has steadily shrunk in recent years, where the costs for properties and salaries, among other things, have risen to a greater degree than the grants.
Therefore, the board for cultural development has decided to reintroduce entrance fees at five museums.
– We must act responsibly based on the current economic situation. Today, over 90 percent of the funds for the operations are locked in fixed costs. The working capital needs to increase so that our museums can develop forward and be attractive destinations for our guests in the future as well, says Jan Alexandersson, chairman of the board for cultural development.