London will fall behind European rivals if tourists are charged to visit museums, ministers warned

Charging international tourists an entry fee for London’s museums risks the seeing the capital fall behind rivals in Europe and the US, ministers have been told.

In March the government confirmed they would look at the possibility of charging international visitors at national museums across the country amid a cultural funding crisis. Universal free admission to the national museums has been in place since 2001 for both domestic and foreign visitors.

However, a funding shortfall caused by higher running costs and underwhelming footfall has prompted a discussion over the long-term sustainability over the cultural institutions.

The Mayor of London has urged the government to reject the idea of charging international visitors , saying recently that “free museums and galleries are a fundamental part of London life”. He has also suggested that 80 per cent of tourists come to the capital for its cultural offering, and so it should remain free of charge.

On Wednesday the London Assembly Economy, Culture and Skills Committee heard from museum bosses that, despite the funding crisis, charging entry could actually have an adverse effect on both the cultural sector in London and the city as a whole.

Sir Tristram Hunt, a former Labour Party frontbencher who is now director of the Victoria & Albert Museum, told Assembly Members that he is “yet to be convinced of the benefits” of any such model.

“It will affect our business model of not charging people at the door but in the cafe, gift shop, exhibitions and membership,” he said.

“That would be scuppered by charging. We are at risk of falling back relative to the US and Europe.”

Jenny Waldman, director of the Art Fund, suggested that charging for museums will have a “knock on impact” on other London attractions – potentially reducing overall spend.

“Most visitors come to London with a budget to spend on museums and other attractions,” she told Assembly Members. “London is not competitively priced as a tourist destination.

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“People primarily come here because of culture – if you stop that [free entry], the impact will likely be more than you get for charging. The knock-on impact of charging risks being greater than the sum of money earned from tourists.”

There were also concerns around the ethics of a commercialised museum model.

Sir Tristram Hunt giving evidence to the London Assembly London Assembly Rebecca Pullen, chief of staff at Imperial War Museums, said that the institution’s role “was to be there for everyone”, adding: “Anything that impedes that is difficult for us to think about.”