Number of visitors to the Louvre in Paris 2007-2022

From a former royal residence to an internationally renowned museum, the Louvre is one of the most popular cultural sites worldwide. While attendance at the famous Parisian institution, the most visited museum worldwide, shrunk with the onset of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, it bounced back in 2022, totaling roughly 7.7 million. Despite the sharp annual increase, the number of visitors to the Louvre remained below pre-pandemic levels.

Impact of COVID-19 on the museum industry

The COVID-19 pandemic hit the global museum industry hard, as most institutions across the globe had to shut down for months in the first two years of the health crisis due to lockdowns and emergency restrictions. As a result of the closures, the number of visitors at leading museums worldwide fell dramatically. While attendance at the most visited institutions rose significantly in 2022 compared to the previous year, it did not catch up yet with pre-pandemic figures.

Is tourism in Paris recovering from the impact of COVID-19?

Paris is one of the most popular European and global travel destinations. According to the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), the French capital was the leading city worldwide based on the direct contribution of travel and tourism to GDP in 2022. That year, the number of tourist arrivals to Paris and the Île-de-France region nearly doubled compared to 2021, driven by a significant increase in inbound travelers.