Louvre hikes ticket prices by 45 per cent for tourists after jewel heist

The world’s most-visited museum has slugged foreigners with a massive price hike, as London also eyes a new visitors tax.

Paris’s Louvre museum will raise ticket prices for most non-EU visitors, meaning Australian tourists among others will have to pay €32 ($A56.80) to get in.

The museum said the 45 per cent price hike aims to boost annual revenues by up to $US23 million ($A35 million) to fund structural improvements at the world’s most-visited art museum, which is reeling from the daylight theft of priceless treasures last month.

From 2026, visitors from outside the European Union, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway will have to pay 32 euros ($A56.80) – an extra 10 euros ($A18) – from January 14, the museum and staff unions said after the measure was approved at a museum board meeting.

Louvre officials are hiking the price of museum tickets for non-EU visitors. Picture: AFP

A 2024 report published by the Louvre showed it received 8.7 million visitors that year, of which 69 per cent were foreigners.

The museum told AFP that the price rise aimed to raise up to 20 million euros ($A35.5 million) a year to tackle “structural problems”.

On October 19, a four-person gang raided the Louvre, taking just seven minutes to steal jewellery worth an estimated $102 million ($A181 million) before fleeing on scooters.

An official investigation indicated that security equipment was lacking, and the museum’s management has warned about the state of its premises.

Labour unions criticised the decision to scrap the universal entry fee for all nationalities, with one, the CFDT, warning it would be perceived as “discrimination”.

The price hikes are in response to the spectacular Louvre heist which lost the museum $102 million. Picture: AFP

Visitors to London could also soon be slugged with a new tax, following in the footsteps of many other tourist hotspots including Paris, New York and Amsterdam.

The British government announced that mayors will be given new powers enabling them to charge a “visitor levy” on overnight stays.

Unveiled in the Labour government’s annual budget on Wednesday (Thursday AEDT), it could see visitors to England’s key tourist cities including London, Manchester, Liverpool and York be hit with a new charge.

International tourists to Britain could soon be hit with new tax levies. Picture: Supplied

Figures published by Visit Britain showed in 2024 Australians made more than 1.2 million visits to England including 592,000 visits to see friends and relatives and 511,000 holiday visits.

The tax would hit visitors staying overnight in hotels, holiday lets, bed and breakfasts, and guesthouses.

London mayor Sir Sadiq Khan posted on X on Wednesday praising the move to introduce a tax on visitors to the city.

He said the budget has helped “secure some important wins for London” including “new powers to raise a tourist levy”.

Sir Sadiq also said: “The extra funding will directly support London’s economy, and help cement our reputation as a global tourism and business destination.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan has praised the government’s move to raise a tourist levy. Picture: AFP

“As part of developing our plans for the levy we will work closely with the hospitality and tourism sectors to ensure it delivers the maximum benefits for London and our brilliant businesses”.

The cost of the tax is unknown but in Paris it is up to €15.60 (A$27.80) per person per night.

Under the government’s proposal Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury Dan Tomlinson said: “The government will not compel any mayor to introduce this levy, nor will central government reduce funding for mayors if they decide to do so.

My statement on today’s Budget: pic.twitter.com/oY0mE1xDDR

— Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan (@MayorofLondon) November 26, 2025

“Each mayor can choose what is right for their area and the merits of the overnight visitor levy may well be contested in future Mayoral election campaigns”.

But he warned: “Businesses, and potential visitors, may have concerns about the effects of a new levy.”.

The introduction of the tax has received criticism including by UK Hospitality chair Kate Nicholls who said it is a “damaging holiday tax”.

She also said it could have “knock-on impacts for the wider hospitality sector”.

Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rachel Reeves, presented the government's annual budget to parliament, in London. Picture: Getty Images

If the levy is successfully introduced by individual mayors it is unclear how much each person will be charged per night.

A report compiled by the Greater London Authority in 2017 forecast that a five per cent levy on accommodation costs could result in raising £239m (A$485m) annually.

A consultation for the potential tax will run for the next 12 weeks.

Scotland has already introduced a tourist tax which will begin being charged in Edinburgh from 2026.

Wales will begin charging a tourist tax from 2027.

- with AFP