The Louvre employees rebel against an ever more pervasive overtourism

After Spain, Portugal and Italy, it is now France that is protesting against overtourism. More precisely, Paris and the Louvre staff, who have decided that it was time to act—or rather to stop acting—by going on strike yesterday afternoon and blocking the entrance to the world’s most visited museum for several hours. Faced with an ever-growing mass of tourists even before the high season begins, poor working conditions, and the elimination of 200 jobs over 15 years, reception staff decided to rebel. As a result, the museum only opened its doors in the early afternoon, creating endless queues, even longer than the already substantial lines both the museum and its staff are used to.

Although the Louvre holds the honorary title of the most visited museum in the world, with no less than 300,000 visitors per day across 313 days per year, this status comes with major responsibilities. Between endless queues, riots in front of the Mona Lisa, and the pressure of having to protect 35,000 artworks displayed across 9 departments within 210,000 square meters—73,000 of which are dedicated to exhibition galleries—the burden on the Louvre’s employees is far from light. Especially when working conditions are far from ideal and the workforce continues to shrink year after year. As early as last January, Laurence des Cars, president and director of the Louvre, had already sounded the alarm about the institution’s poor state, citing water infiltration issues and gallery temperatures unsuitable for preserving the works. And yet, with the summer season fast approaching, the number of tourists will only increase—as will the difficulty faced by the museum staff.

In response to these issues, Emmanuel Macron has promised an ambitious renovation project titled New Renaissance of the Louvre, expected to unfold over the next ten years. The project would include a new entrance to ease the perpetual queues at all hours in front of the glass pyramid, an entire hall dedicated to the Mona Lisa, and a ticket price increase for non-European visitors. Even though these promises may sound appealing, they do not seem to directly address the well-being of its employees. Are more Louvre staff strikes to be expected? Probably.