Question- Many museums charge for admission while others are free. Do you think the advantages of charging people for admission to museums outweigh the disadvantages?

Some museums have an

entrance

charge

while some do not. In my opinion, the drawbacks of an

entrance

fee

are eclipsed by its benefits in the sense that the income will be ploughed back into

operation

and development of the museums A major disadvantage of a welcome

charge

is the possibility of reducing the number of visitors. Museums house exhibitions and artefacts of great educational and historical value. If the chief aim of a museum is to introduce the local community,

admission

should be free to the public and visitors. Take some folk museums in Hong Kong, which preserve historic relics and display folk customs,

for example

.

Admission

to these folk museums, which are often monuments, is free of

charge

. If they had charged an

entrance

fee

, many might have turned to other activities. Granted, an

entrance

fee

might have a negative effect on the

admission

figures, but an income is favourable to museums in terms of

operation

. Museums feature educational exhibitions at times, and

this

could not have been done without a sum of money expended on hiring professionals and buying equipment. The Hong Kong Space Museum,

for instance

, has monthly exhibitions on different issues and professional docents are employed to take visitors on a guided tour around the museum.

This

example speaks volumes about how a reasonable

admission

charge

is advantageous to the

operation

of a museum. In conclusion, the disadvantages of an

admission

charge

are overshadowed by the benefits accruing from a stable source of income.

Therefore

, having weighed up the pros and cons, I am convinced that museums should ask for payment an

entrance

fee

for the sake of

operation

and development.