“Are Museums open in Europe?”
During the lockdown we have experienced the shutdown of all industries, enterprises and activities including museums. While it is widely talked how some fields have been impacted by COVID-19, we hardly see numbers of the virus effect on the cultural and creative sectors. However, these are as important as many others for the economy and for employment, of course, in some countries more than others.
The creative and cultural sectors were among the hardest to be hit by the pandemic!
While some activities have found their way to make revenue through online content platforms, some others simply couldn’t. The crisis has also exposed the economical fragility of those not so individually dependent within the sectors. According to, the OECD “Cultural and creative sectors are largely composed of micro-firms, non-profit organisations and creative professionals, often operating on the margins of financial sustainability. Large public and private cultural institutions and businesses depend on this dynamic cultural ecosystem for the provision of creative goods and services” (OECD, 2020).
So, yes, museums are open again across Europe, but they are still not doing very well.
First of all, these sectors are highly dependent on others: let’s think about the tourism and transportation sectors, for example. But many venue-based activities (such as museums, performing arts, live music, festivals, cinema, etc.) have been hit very hard by social distancing measures with their re-opening.
But this is not it all, according to the New York Times, almost all European museums are suffering from visitor losses: The Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam is down to about 400 visitors a day, when it used to welcome 6,500, the change in drastic and scary!
The statistics say that the ability of these venues to remain alive is dependent on how they are founded: those only relying on ticket sale might face a closedown.
Lidewij de Koekkoek, the director of the Rembrandt House, said that they expect that only in 2024 they might go back to their normal visitor numbers, she explained how financially that represents a disaster for them.
Museums are also trying to appeal to different kind of visitors since a big portion of their audience is made of school groups, seniors and tourists. It is important that we all contribute to make sure we support a sector that is responsible for the social impact of the economy through education, inclusion, inspiration, urban regeneration and others.
Let’s visit museums and other cultural venues during our trips while still being safe.
Tips for you: book ahead, wear a mask, follow the set path and keep distance.
Sources:
Ekaterina Travkina and Pier Luigi Sacco (September 7, 2020) “Culture shock: Covid-19 and the cultural and creative sectors” — OECD Policy Responses to Coronavirus (COVID-19)https://www.oecd.org/coronavirus/policy-responses/culture-shock-covid-19-and-the-cultural-and-creative-sectors-08da9e0e/
Nina Siegal (October 19, 2020) “Europe’s Museums Are Open, but the Public Isn’t Coming” — The NewYork Timeshttps://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/19/arts/design/europe-museums-covid.html
