A country’s museums should always be free for people to visit, whatever the visitor’s age, income or nationality.’ To what level do you agree with this idea? Should museums always be free for all visitors?

Museums

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are a vital part of any nation’s cultural life, and high visitor numbers are a desirable indicator of their health and popularity.

However

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, it seems to me that making

museums

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universally free is unnecessary, and even counter-productive, in our efforts to make them more attractive. For one thing, we should remember that many potential visitors to

museums

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are able to pay an admission charge and would not object to

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.

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, in London, we see many thousands of wealthy tourists who have paid large sums to travel, and for whom a modest entry charge would be no inconvenience. Indeed, applying a small fee would enable

museums

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to collect revenue which could be used to conserve the exhibits, extend the collections and put on

further

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displays and so on.

This

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would in turn make the institution more attractive

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apply

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so that more visitors arrive. The Guggenheim

museums

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in the USA and Europe are an interesting example of

museums

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which constantly refresh their contents in

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way.

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, we should remember that not all

museums

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are publicly owned, and indeed there are numerous smaller, private institutions (

for example

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in Russia or the Middle East) which rely on entry fees to survive. Abolishing

such

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fees would be vastly expensive in terms of state subsidies, and would surely have little impact on visitor numbers. Admittedly, I agree with those who say that universally free

museums

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are a symbol of an equal and advanced society, showcasing national heritage and learning for everyone.

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, the use of affordable entry fees (certainly with exemptions for children, the unemployed, students and others) may well add to the

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’ effectiveness as

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showcases. Overall, I feel that modest charges are justifiable, and indeed useful, in our efforts to broaden access and improve our

museums

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, provided that nobody is excluded on the grounds of cost.