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

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

However

, it seems to me that making

museums

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

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

this

.

For example

, 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

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

further

displays and so on.

This

would in turn make the institution more attractive

,

Remove the comma

apply

show examples

so that more visitors arrive. The Guggenheim

museums

in the USA and Europe are an interesting example of

museums

which constantly refresh their contents in

this

way.

Finally

, we should remember that not all

museums

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

for example

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

such

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

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

However

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

museums

’ effectiveness as

such

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

museums

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