Prado chief says Madrid art museum doesn't need single visitor more'

"In 2025 the Prado, which is home to such masterpieces as Velazquez's Las Meninas and Hieronymus Bosch's The Garden of Earthly Delights, was visited by 3,513,402 people, an increase of more than 56,000 from the previous year. Visitor numbers have risen by more than 816,000 over the past decade. While some museum bosses would be toasting such a success, the Prado's director, Miguel Falomir, is treating it with caution. The Prado doesn't need a single visitor more, he told a press conference on Wednesday."

"Falomir said the museum had embarked on a new project, called Plan Host, to prioritise quality over quantity and to try to improve or at least maintain visitors' museum experience. It can't be like catching the Metro at rush hour, said the director, who has been in his post since 2017. You can't judge a museum on visitor numbers. The quantity isn't as important as the quality; there should be a diverse and inclusive range of visitors."

The Prado received 3,513,402 visitors in 2025, up more than 56,000 from the previous year and over 816,000 in the past decade. Director Miguel Falomir said the museum is comfortable with 3.5 million visitors and warned that excessive popularity can lead to oversaturated rooms, as happened at the Louvre. The museum launched Plan Host to prioritise visitor experience and quality over raw visitor numbers. Planned measures include optimising entrances, rethinking group sizes, enforcing no-photography rules, and encouraging more domestic visitors, since 65% of visitors last year were from overseas.

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