Overcrowding Issues of the Louvre Museum

By MAGGIE YANG

On June 16, 2025, the Louvre Museum in Paris had a big problem. It was the staff members who went on strike, causing the visitors to wait outside for a long time, and closing for several hours. A protest happened because the workers were unhappy about seeing too many visitors and poor working conditions, making those tourists wait outside only to see the giant glass-and-steel pyramid designed by I.M. Pei.

Even if the museum called it a “social movement” instead of a formal strike, it was clear. The museum was closed for several hours, disappointing all tourists who came from all around the world to see famous artworks, and mainly Mona Lisa.

The Louvre struggled with overcrowded issues for years. The museum had problems handling those large numbers of visitors, which can reach about 30,000 each day. So, because of this, they raised the price of the tickets, increasing from 17 euros to 22 euros, but it is still quite difficult. Galani pointed out that “there are too many visitors, and the rooms are in very bad condition,” showing the stress that staff members feel every day.

This strike also made tourism problems worse in many cities across Europe. Protests started by people in places like Barcelona and Lisbon. There were more and more protests, mainly against having too many tourists across Europe, with activists in places like Barcelona and Lisbon sharing their concerns about high living costs and the negative effects of mass tourism on local communities.

To help with this problem, the museum planned to move the Mona Lisa to its individual exhibition space, which might be able to reduce the crowded problem in the current gallery. But workers think differently; they think that more needs to be done to improve their working conditions and the overall experience of those visitors.

Later, the museum reopened at 2:30 pm, but there were still many problems about how it would work in the future. With a plan to tell the staff about a closing on Tuesday, but also address their concerns. The strike may be an important moment in the discussion about worker rights and better tourism practices, not just in Paris, but in tourist spots around the world.

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