Louvre hikes ticket price for non-EU visitors by almost half

"The move is one of Europe's most severe implementations of what's known as "dual pricing," when visitors are charged differing rates depending on their origins. The practice is common in many developing countries, where often less affluent locals can visit cultural sites at lower prices than tourists. But until now it has been a rarity in wealthier regions like Europe."

"The French AFP news agency spoke to several visitors to the Paris museum on Wednesday, with some voicing no objections and others questioning the new price. "If I go to India, people from India pay less than people from abroad it's fair because they have less money," Marcia Branco from Brazil told AFP. "But because I'm in Paris and it's supposed to be a rich country I think it's not fair.""

France began charging non-EU visitors to the Louvre 45% more than people with European citizenship or residency, raising individual tickets from 22 to 32. Other state-owned cultural sites such as the Versailles Palace, the Paris national opera, and the Chambord Palace have adopted higher prices for non-European visitors. The policy creates a two-tier 'dual pricing' system that charges different rates based on visitors' origins, a practice common in some developing countries but rare in Europe. The change prompted mixed visitor reactions and criticism for potential discrimination and reduced access for low-income foreign tourists, while the government said it would raise an extra 20–30 million annually for renovations.

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